Utilizing Local Artists

Consumers are the asset to the profit of your business, but have you ever thought about their other talents that could be utilized by your business? It is just a thought, but because so many entrepreneurs concentrate on supporting local businesses and keeping the money in their community, it would only make sense to hire/employ/contract people who also reside there.

Since some say art is in everything, there is always room for art and the artists who create it. Just think about what bringing local talent into your garden center can do for you. It can be one or two pieces every now and then or whole collections year-round, using discretion to suit your needs. Just like an artist’s work, don’t be generic; step outside the box to find ways to introduce these products into your garden center.

Finding the artists

So where do you find these artists? Start closest to home, like David Williams, partner/vice president, Williams Nursery & The Gift House, Westfield, N.J., “We are selling hand-painted pictures that are actually done on postcards and antique postcards; [the artist] extends the images on to the matting,” Williams said. “And the local artist is also my sister.” As Williams explained, postcards of the early 1900s were handcrafted paintings rather than photographs. And, like Williams, some of you might not have to search far for artist contributions, but if the artistic gene skipped your generation, it’s ok — chances are you will find there are plenty of artists who are already your customers.

When asked how she found the artist that creates the oil paintings for sale at Finke Garden Center, Lincoln, Neb., Luann Finke, co-owner, said, “He is also a gardener, and he came in to buy plants, and that is how we became familiar with his work. [Now] he also does our newsletter for us. It’s a great opportunity for both of us; he makes his living as a graphic artist, but he is trained as a fine artist, so this is an outlet for his work as well.”

Local Art for your Business

Jewelry, oil paintings, hand-painted gourds…art is endless, and the benefits often turn out to be a win-win situation. “I think it provides an opportunity to have unique products that you are not going to see everywhere,” said Finke. “It allows you to be unique in the market; I think we all have a mission of providing something slightly different or slightly better. You can cultivate a cross section of people who then become customers or clients of yours if they are initially taken by the artist’s product, and they will appreciate your support of the arts. It also enables you to market to a different clientele that might not have otherwise known about your shop or the work that you do.”

Providing the work of local artists in the garden center doesn’t have to be a big cost to you, and in fact, it shouldn’t. Any piece of art that isn’t mass produced is going to cost a little more than its generic replication, but people know why they are paying more…for the craftsmanship. In some cases, artists may approach your store buyer or manager to negotiate a business opportunity for exposure and to gain monetary rewards, but it also gives you the chance to maintain your uniqueness in the midst of your competitors.

General manager, Cindy Carvalho, Alden Lane Nursery, Livermore, Calif., explained some novel ideas for purchasing products and staying out of the red. “The artist who made gourds for the Fall Festival priced them at $200. If we had to buy them for $200 and then mark them up for retail, we would never sell them,” said Carvalho, commenting on why she creates alternative scenarios to allow artists to sell their work at Alden Lane without being an economic burden to the nursery.

Carvalho told the artist she could come to the nursery and sell her product under Carvalho’s conditions. “I required her to do two demonstrations a day to teach people how to take a raw gourd and turn it into a finished product.” Through these demonstrations, Alden Lane customers could create their own birdhouse, bottleneck or apple gourds.

Art equals endless possibilities

Fall Festival at Alden Lane is just one of many events that the nursery holds that supports the local arts. The garden center has several events each month after its busy season, and some of the most notable are July’s Art Under the Oaks, which incorporates 52 artists with music and wine tasting; September’s Quilt Show; and Lavender Ladies’ Night in October. Alden Lane keeps busy promoting, providing and maintaining a strong relationship with the local artists, delivering unique and original art and personal experiences to its customers.

Works of art can be from a vast array of genre, making it easy to incorporate local talent and handcrafted items as a beneficial addition to your product offering. From customer responses that owners and managers are hearing at these garden centers, featuring local artists seems to become something customers admire and expect from their garden center. As for benefits, Carvalho states just one that keeps Alden Lane in touch with their artist community, “I think that there is something really wonderful about blending art with gardening — creating an environment where art is supported and people come in and expect to see that.”