Gypsy Wagon Trading is undergoing changes in the New Year!
It’s back to “Plan A”
She waits patiently until I can fix her up
While I have loved creating this fibre arts and vintage home gallery, the reality is that I am not getting the time to create my own wares, consequently not making enough at this location to pay the rent (a very BIG factor in the changes).
The adventure started out as a search for a studio, also known as “Plan B”, since the space I had available was next door to someone using noxious materials that seeped through the ventilation. I needed an affordable studio to create the painted furniture, upcycled decor, and other creative ventures, and an artist friend suggested The Cannery Trade Centre. I immediately fell in love with the building, with its old exposed beams, drafty old windows, industrial fans, and eclectic mix of food, manufacturing and retail shops. The space that became the Gallery was coming available, along with a much smaller space, too small for what I needed. So, “Plan C” was whipped up! By using the great window exposure and central position between dining establishments, I had hoped that the gallery would pay the rent, which was a bit more than I had budgeted, and I would be able to carve a niche area for a studio. Well, best laid plans and all…my contracting work got busier, which limited my creative hours (but paid the rent!); my father moved, twice; a rash of theft made it so that I could not work on projects while open; and the proverbial cherry on top of it ALL, I was fully engaged in peri-menopause. Let me tell you, I like a challenge as much as the next person, but this was getting to be too much!
As I write this it is Thanksgiving for my friends and family in the U.S., so I’m counting my blessings as well. Firstly, I got a chance to work with Jill and Jeff, a wonderful husband and wife team that run the Cannery. I appreciate their belief in my business, and their help and support over the past two years. It was great working with them, and I wish them all the best in their own new business venture.
I am also blessed to have met others who are passionate, active participants in treasuring craftsmanship of the past and present. There are many people who appreciate the skills and works of those that hav
e gone before us, but unless you actually BUY VINTAGE wares, and not cheap offshore made knock offs, within a generation they will be all but gone. So, when you grandmother or mother ask if you want that heavy, old wood table and chairs, SAY YES!! Upholstery can always be done to update them, and even paint can be removed eventually if you need to brighten them up. Personally, I find nothing more appealing than a cracked patina showing 2 or 3 coats of paint through! They are signs of character, like wrinkles on our face, and are earned over time.
I sincerely hope you will keep checking in, and seeing the posts of the progress of fixing up the Gypsy
Wagon , and joining me at the events I will take her to, which was the original “Plan A”!!! I will post pictures, enter dates on the calendar, and hopefully entertain you along the way with humour and a window into “life on the road show”.
If you put the website in your RSS Feed, my blog updates will come to you and you’ll never miss an event.
In the meantime, December 14th will be the last day the Gallery is open, and the fabulous works of art will be going back to the artists. If you have your eye on something, NOW is the time to get it!
See you Soon!
