Interview: Barbara Hares

Interviewee: Barbara Hares, the owner of Earth Gatherings

About Earth Gatherings: Earth Gatherings is a craft product store located in the Village on High, a collection of tiny shops each about the size of a nice outdoor building, not quite a toolshed but not much bigger. Earth Gatherings sells craft products like beads, buttons, and embellishments, as well as Barbara’s handmade products like hats, bags, and other accessories. The store has been in business for 4 years, a relatively long time in the Glasstown Arts District, which itself is just over a decade old. During our initial meeting, Barbara told me that Third Friday is “usually great” for business, but even better is the “following” that she has developed among shoppers who depend on her for jewelry and sewing supplies and her unique accessories.

Note about Interviewing Methods: I did not use a tape recorder for my interviews, I only took notes on key ideas and phrases. I don’t claim these answers to be direct quotes from the interviewee, unless I specifically put quotation marks around a phrase.

 

 

KW: You’ve been here a long time. What do you think makes a business successful in the Arts District?

 

BH: Well, this is just my opinion. But for me, what makes it successful is being a crafter. “Not everyone comes [to the Arts District] for a painting.” I sell “one-of-a-kind products, unique products like beads you can’t get in Michael’s.” These beads have come from older necklaces, with a history, and while you can buy those products online, it’s not the same as coming in and actually holding them in your hand. Everything is “handcrafted.” I’m also the gardener for the Village on High, and I grow what are called “heirloom plants,” plants that are cut from my grandmother’s perennials. Sometimes my friends who are gardeners and I trade, an heirloom plant from my grandmother for one from their grandmother. They have history. It’s not the kind of plant you can just buy from Home Depot.

 

(KW: So even the plants are handcrafted. I didn’t know such a thing was possible.)

 

KW: What are some of the obstacles facing arts districts as a whole and individual businesses specifically?

 

BH: The economy is a big thing, and that’s going on everywhere. It’s discouraging, especially with the governor’s budget cuts. “The last year has been really hard.” There’s also sometimes an issue of “crowd control” during Third Fridays. When you see a crowd of people, and especially a crowd of teenagers, there’s a sort of fear. Some of my older customers came in and told me they were afraid. They said they weren’t going to come back because they were afraid. But everyone has the right to be here, you can’t tell teenagers they can’t come to Third Friday. So there’s always the need for “police presence.”

 

KW: What advice would you give to other businesses considering opening in this arts district?

 

BH: As a “treasure hunter,” I feel like antiques, collectibles, and thrift stores would be really good for the arts district. You “can’t just have all galleries,” you have to appeal to a variety of things. Thrift stores tend to have a lower reputation, but treasure hunters and artists are sometimes looking for unusual, offbeat things. A lot of my customers do embellishing, but they need to find those unique products to embellish. Really, a place that helps the district appeal to a variety of people could find success. It’s nice to have different media, like the clay college. It’s not all paintings.

 

KW: One last question. I talked to Jim Fahy in The Rusty Heart, and he mentioned the importance of unity between the businesses in the arts district. Do you have any comments to make about that?

 

BH: Well, it’s hard to say exactly what he means by that. There are town meetings, and merchant meetings, but sometimes it’s hard for everyone to get along. People might talk about this side of the district, or that street versus this street. But yeah, I think unity is important. The businesses are mostly unified.

 

As in my interview with Jim Fahy, I learned a lot from interviewing Barbara Hares. She, too, took plenty of time to spend talking to me. Thank you, Barbara, for your time and answers! I hope to get my third interview, with Marianne Lods, posted soon. Still waiting on an internet interview.

Research Interview: Jim Fahy

Interviewee:    Jim Fahy, manager of the Rusty Heart, a unique gift shop on High Street in Millville’s Glasstown Arts District.

About the Rusty Heart:  The Rusty Heart has been open for 9 or 10 years and is one of the stores that has been there the longest. Former employee Janice Morey describes it as a “unique gift shop” that carries everything from collectibles and greeting cards to antiques. Both Jim Fahy and Janice Morey admitted that the shop and its related locations, have been hit hard by the poor economy. One such location is the Secret Garden, a beautifully landscaped enclosed garden accessible from the back door of the store, which had to be closed because of the economic stress. However, both Jim and Janice remain hopeful that the economy will pick up. Third Fridays, especially, are good for the store’s financial well-being. According to Janice Morey, there are at least 20 people in the shop at all times during most Third Friday evenings.

Note about Interviewing Methods: I did not use a tape recorder for my interviews, I only took notes on key ideas and phrases. I don’t claim these answers to be direct quotes from the interviewee, unless I specifically put quotation marks around a phrase.

 

KW: What makes a business successful in an arts district?

JF: What makes any business successful, to “welcome people [with] a happy face.” “Smile.” Also, selling a “quality product at a fair price.” The Rusty Heart discounts regular products at 50% and Christmas at 75%. Let people know about sales when they walk in. Make them feel welcome and let them know they’re going to be taken care of.

KW: This probably overlaps with the previous question, but what advice would you give to other businesses considering opening in this arts district?

JF: Besides welcoming customers with a smile, keep in mind that it is a small business community. We typically “do as much business Third Friday as we do in a whole month.” In any small business community, unity is important. People work together to plan events. The nice restaurants help entertain people. The “Arts District brings people in, but they need a destination.” Advertising is also important. For example, this time of year Communion dresses are selling. I dropped off sale flyers to the local schools, churches, and rectories, and tell people to tell their friends. Word-of-mouth advertising is free advertising.

KW: I was talking to Barbara Hares from Earth Dwellings in the Village on High, and she mentioned that a large part of her success so far has been from developing a following. Do you think that’s true for this store?

JF: Yes, we get a lot of the same people here. I always make sure to welcome people when they come in, let them know about our sales, ask them if they need anything. I have a spiel. A couple of women walked in, and I started my spiel, and then I saw who they were and said, ‘you know all of this already.’

KW: What are some of the obstacles facing arts districts as a whole and individual businesses specifically?

JF: The economy is the main thing for everyone. For this arts district specifically, parking can be a problem. We’re on a busy street, so we don’t have a lot of parking. These couple blocks here are busy. But you take the good with the bad. We get more business, too, because it’s a busy street.

 

Jim Fahy was kind enough to talk to me for quite awhile, and he brought up a lot of points I hadn’t considered before. I just want to thank him again for all of his help, in case he is checking this blog out. More interview posts to follow.

(Tentative) Interview Schedule

Here is my tentative interview schedule. I have to say, I’m pretty pleased with how it looks so far. I was lucky enough to find a lot of helpful people who were friendly and willing to talk to me.

 

Here are a few themes I would like to explore in the interview:

• The effect of the economy on the businesses (galleries, restaurants, shops, etc.) involved in Third Friday
• What makes a business successful in an arts district?
• What advice would you give to other communities considering initiating an arts district project? Other businesses considering opening in this arts district?
• What are some of the obstacles facing arts districts as a whole and individual businesses specifically?

 

Obviously, each of these questions would be tailored specifically to the individual I am interviewing, but these are some themes I would definitely like to explore with all of my main interview subjects.

 

 

Maryanne Lods

• How I met the interviewee

While initially talking to Gary Thayer (see below), he told me that I should get in touch with Maryanne Lods. I sent her an email on 3/9/10.

• Why this interviewee is important for my research subject and what he/she can contribute

Maryanne Lods is the executive director of Main Street Millville and Glasstown Arts District. Thayer referred to her as the “driving force” behind the creation of the Arts District. Because Maryanne is involved especially with the financial aspect of the Arts District, she would definitely have some input on the questions I wanted to explore.

• When and where the interview will take place

It’s too soon to know about the interview exactly, but since I am emailing her it might become an online interview.

 

 

Scott Meyer

• How I met the interviewee

I met Scott Meyer at the Third Friday in February. We talked for a few minutes, and he gave me his email address and website (www.shop.glasstownartglass.com) so I can contact him further.

• Why this interviewee is important for my research subject and what he/she can contribute

As I learned when I briefly interviewed him last month, Scott opened his blown-glass gallery in September of 2009. This means that Scott has the perspective of a new arrival in the arts district, but he’s also been there long enough to know what business is like in the Glasstown Arts District. Scott was more than willing to discuss his experiences with Third Fridays, and I would like to know more about his perspectives on what makes a business successful.

• When and where the interview will take place

I expect this interview to continue both online and in person. I plan on emailing him, but I also expect to talk to him in person at the next Third Friday

 

 

Gary Thayer

• How I met the interviewee

I met Gary Thayer at Third Friday in February. He had just moved into the arts district and plans the grand opening of his store One Planet, One World for Third Friday in March. We spoke for quite awhile, and not only was Gary willing to talk to me, but he also recommended that I talk to Maryanne Lods, director of the arts district.

• Why this interviewee is important for my research subject and what he/she can contribute

Gary is in the process of opening his business in the Arts District. I would really like to talk to him about his hopes and expectations, and what challenges he faced in getting set up in the Arts District. His shop specializes in “fair trade products” and “superfoods,” so I am especially interested in talking to him about how products affect overall success (how does having such as small niche limit or encourage success, or both?).

• When and where the interview will take place

I definitely plan to show up at the grand opening of One Planet, One World on Third Friday. Actually, I think I should take very detailed notes about the grand opening experience. It might make for a good starting point for my article, a good hook to draw readers in. I might try to stop by the Village on High before Third Friday to see if Gary has more time to talk with me.

 

 

Rusty Heart

• How I met the interviewee; Why this interviewee is important for my research subject and what he/she can contribute

I know this isn’t a specific name, but I can explain my reasoning for the ambiguity. Last Third Friday, I found it really useful to talk to the people at the gift store The Rusty Heart. I spoke with the manager, Jim Fay, and a former employee, Janice Morey (whose names I’m probably butchering). The Rusty Heart is one of the stores that has been there the longest, and Jim and Janice both had a lot to say about how the economy has impacted the store and its related locations (the same owner also owned the Secret Garden, a wonderful enclosed garden that had beautiful landscape and lighting, a pond, and often live music. Unfortunately, due to the poor economy, it is no longer being maintained).

• When and where the interview will take place

I don’t know for sure who I will speak to when I return to the Rusty Heart, but Jim and Janice were both very friendly, and I’m sure either of them, or the store’s owner, would be willing to talk to me in person for awhile.

 

 

 

 

I also want to talk more to Barbara Hares, who leases(?) Earth Gatherings in the Village on High; Maryann Cannon, an artist who works in La Botega of Arts and owns the Village on High; and Leslie Staaite, who makes the soy candles sold in Angels of Light in the Village on High. Although they will be more quick interviews, not as detailed as my main 4 discussed above, I felt that when I spoke with Barbara, she had some good points to consider. Maryann seemed genuinely interested in talking to me, and Leslie’s store has been one of my favorites for years.

 

I haven’t given up on trying to talk to someone from the Levoy Theatre, but I recently learned that my one acquaintance involved with the project is no longer working with them. The Levoy Preservation Society wasn’t at last month’s Third Friday at all, so I wonder if they are still involved with the event. We’ll see. For now, I think my list is long enough, even if some of the details are missing.

Initial reactions to Third Friday

Just got back from Third Friday with Sam. It started out pretty badly. I wanted to go to the Looking Glass Cafe, a nice little restaurant on High Street that has been there for years. Neither of us had ever been there, but it seemed like part of the classic Third Friday experience. We had a great meal that we will never have again, because it turns out that this is the Looking Glass Cafe’s last Third Friday. They are closing on Sunday,  for good. It seemed like a bad omen.

Luckily, the night improved after that. First, I talked to Scott Meyer, an artist and gallery owner who specializes in handblown glass. His work was amazing. He has been blowing glass for 20 years and just opened his gallery, Glasstown Art Glass, in September of 2009. He said that the Third Friday even is a “good thing” and “very needed.” Scott Meyer said that the event provides a “focal point” for people and that later in the evening, the gallery is often packed with people.

Next, I talked to the people at the Rusty Heart, manager Jim Fay and former employee Janice Morey (I apologize if I have mispelled names here, and I will be sure to correct their spellings later). The Rusty Heart, as Janice Morey describes it, is a “unique gift shop” that carries everything from collectibles and greeting cards to antiques. Both Jim Fay and Janice Morey admitted that the shop has been hit hard by the poor economy. They explained that the Secret Garden, a beautifully decorated enclosed garden in the back of the store, had to be closed because of the economic stress. However, they remain hopeful that the economy will pick up. Third Fridays, especially, are good for the store’s financial well-being. According to Janice Morey, there are at least 20 people in the shop at all times during most Third Friday evenings.

Our next stop was the wonderful collection of tiny shops known as the Village on High. Each shop is about the size of a nice outdoor building, not quite a toolshed but not much bigger. First we visited one of our favorite places, one of the few of “our” places that is still left. The shop Angels of Light sells soy candles in all kinds of great scents. The lady who was working there, whose daughter Leslie Staaite makes the candles, gave me my next destination. Barbara Hares has run a shop called Earth Dwellings, where she sells handmade hats, bags, and accessories and supplies for jewelry crafters, for 4 years. For her, Third Friday is “usually great” for business, but even better is the “following” that she has developed among shoppers who depend on her for jewelry and sewing supplies and her unique accessories.

I spent a long time talking to Gary Thayer, a gentleman who is currently in the process of opening a new store in the Village on High called One Planet, One World. The grand opening will be the next Third Friday, March 19th. One Planet, One World will sell fair trade products (products from developing countries where their creators are paid what would be considered by already developed countries to be an appropriate amount, from what I understand; if anyone has more insight into the movement feel free to correct me) and will soon house highly nutritious “superfoods.” Gary Thayer sent me to the gallery La Bottega of Art to find Maryann Cannon, who Thayer described as the reason the Village on High existed. He also instructed me to talk to Marianne Lods, one of the head of the Glasstown Arts District and who he referred to as the “driving force behind the arts district.”

All in all, it’s been a pretty good night, research-wise. There are still some other people I would like to talk to, and I need to come up with some more in-depth questions and figure out what, exactly, I would like to focus on, but I met a lot of helpful people who are really passionate about what they do. Should be a good project, I think. (I hope this post was at least mostly coherent; I need some sleep and some time to reflect on things to write a more polished account of the night, but I wanted to get the details down now before I forget them. Also sorry for the lack of links toward the end. Most of these shops don’t have websites, unfortunately.)

Research Proposal

            For my research project, I plan to learn more about the Glasstown Arts District in Millville, New Jersey. I would like to focus on the district’s Third Friday events in particular, and incorporate some more general information about the Arts District into the article to flesh it out. I am interested in researching and writing about the Arts District because I used to enjoy going to the Third Friday events when I was in high school. The development of the Arts District has benefited the city by bringing artists and new businesses to the area and providing citizens with a sense of community and social and cultural events.  I remember several locations in the Arts District that would make for engrossing, detail-rich descriptions that would pull readers into the writing and would encourage them to visit the Arts District if they haven’t already done so. A discussion of the historic Levoy Theatre, which is in the process of being renovated, would bring attention to an important cause. Reviewing several of the shops and restaurants would appeal to people who are interested in visiting the Arts District. Although I am not sure what specific publication would be interested in the article, I’m sure that either a local publication or a magazine or journal that focuses on attractions in the larger area might be interested in it.

            Although the scholarly sources I would use for this project would be limited to more background information, like the effects of creating arts districts in communities in general, I would have plenty of opportunity to gain information through in-person and electronic interviews. I could interview some of the artists, one of the people involved with the Levoy Theatre restoration project, some of the business owners, and even some of the gallery coordinators. Of course, it would also be necessary to attend a couple of Third Friday events in person. Although I don’t know the names of the people I should interview yet, I think many people involved with the Arts District would be willing to help me. If I were to get the article published, even in a local paper, it could encourage more people to attend the events and help the businesses and artists financially.

            Although I frequently visited the Arts District in high school, it’s been a few years since I’ve attended a Third Friday, and over a year since I attended any other Arts District events. What I remember is more of the atmosphere, the feeling of excitement and creativity, than any concrete information about the Arts District. I know many things have changed since my last visit; some of the places that I frequented are unfortunately no longer in existence, and I’m sure new galleries and businesses have moved in. Although the topic is not new to me in the sense that I know nothing about it, it is new because what little knowledge I had, through experience, is not really up to date anymore. Because this research would require so much interaction in the form of interviews, and because I don’t know any of the people I would have to interview, this project will challenge me as a writer and as a person. I’m not at all extroverted, but if I am to get the interviews I need to write this article, I will have to go out of my way to track down the best people to interview and convince them that they should make the time to talk to me. Although this topic is local, I feel like it has implications for a much larger audience. Millville is hardly the only city investing in an arts district. Philadelphia is one of the larger ones, but many other, smaller cities like Millville are also investing in the arts. Cities that have already begun this process can learn from reading about the strengths and weaknesses of Millville’s district, and cities who are considering investing in an arts district can decide if it would help their community.