Brooklyn Artisans Gallery by Kirsten Coughlin

Background:

The gallery opened in September 1994 as a cooperative of 12 fine craft artists to show only their work. Over the years, the membership has changed, and the gallery now also carries consigned work.

Kinds of crafts sold:

handmade, original jewelry, functional and decorative ceramics, hand-painted wearable silk, weavings, wood, blown and painted glass, paper boxes and cards, tooled leather and Judaica

Currently looking for:

"Members must live in the New York City area, preferably Brooklyn, and be available to work in the gallery approximately three days a month, as well as handle various aspects of the business," says co-owner Joan Rothchild Hardin. "We are especially interested in a new member who works in fine jewelry, glass blowing and/or leather. There is a buy-in share, currently priced at $2,000 and a rent payment, which is currently $125 per month."

The membership meets for business meetings four times a year; the officers meet for business meetings monthly.

Prime customers:

residents of the Cobble Hill, Brooklyn Heights and Park Slope neighborhoods in Brooklyn, people who work in downtown Brooklyn, and local and international tourists. "We have many repeat customers who tell us they buy all their gifts from us, know each artist's work and bring in their visiting friends and family to see the gallery as part of their tour of the neighborhood and city," says Hardin.

Signature crafts:

finely crafted ceramics, wooden boxes and clocks, hand-painted wearable silk, stained glass, glass bead jewelry, hand-painted ceramic tile work

Exhibitions:

Each artisan-owner gets a turn being featured in a month-long show in one of the gallery's two display windows. The gallery also displays holiday theme windows featuring a member's or consignor's work. Several times a year, the gallery also has juried theme shows and lists a call for entry in The Crafts Report.

Artists are found through:

recommendations, word of mouth, personal contacts made at shows

Pricing:

Most of the work is priced between $25 and $400.

Purchase/consignment:

Work is consigned at a 50/50 split.

Best-selling price points:

up to $100

Gallery size:

350 square feet with two large display windows

Number of artists currently represented:

eight artisan-members and 22 consignors

Non-craft items sold:

none

Services offered to customers:

bridal registry, gift-wrapping, biographies of the artists given with purchases, gift certificates, layaway plan, credit cards accepted. "The gallery offers a relaxing, personalized shopping experience," says Hardin. "Because the owners take turns staffing the store, our customers find it easy to talk to us about custom work, which forms a significant percentage of our sales."

GALLERY OWNERS:

Would you like your gallery to be considered for inclusion in Gallery Profiles? If you are looking to attract new artists and new work, and you have professional slides or transparencies of your gallery, send your background information and images to: The Crafts Report attention: Kirsten Coughlin 300 Water St. Wilmington, DE 19801.

Gallery location:

The gallery is situated at the corners of Court and Warren Streets in the historic Cobble Hill section of Brooklyn. The area is noted for its ethnic food stores, restaurants, cafes and antique stores. It is convenient to Manhattan and public transportation.

To submit work to the gallery:

Call first; do not submit work unless requested. If the gallery is interested in your work, then photos or slides, a retail or wholesale price list, a résumé and a SASE can be sent. Potential members' and consignors' work is juried at the monthly business meetings.

Why selling crafts:

"The members were all independent artists who decided to join together in a cooperative venture to share the effort and expense of marketing their work to create an attractive retail outlet for themselves," says Hardin. "Over the years, the neighborhood has developed around us, the membership has changed, and we have also refined how we function as a cooperative.

"Recently, we were finally able to hire a wonderful, experienced staff person, Keith Nieto. His presence has made many things possible for us, including providing more continuity for us and our customers, [the creation of more attractive] window displays, and finally [allowing us] to change from being open five days to seven days a week."

Kirsten Coughlin is editorial assistant of The Crafts Report.

SEPTEMBER 1999:

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