An information night on a proposed artists’ cooperative here attracted about 40 people on March 17.
The creation of an artists’ co-op and shared studio space on the lower level of the former Harriston post office, dubbed “The Old Post” by new owners Michael and Susan Hendrick, has been proposed as a way to utilize a portion of the renovated basement space in the building.
Featured speaker Steve Irvine, chair of the Owen Sound Artists’ Co-op, shared ideas and information about that 30-year-old venture at the event, hosted in conjunction with the Minto Arts Council.
Irvine explained the Owen Sound co-op grew out of a Grey-Bruce Arts Council project called The Harlequin Store, which was run by the council to display and sell the work of local artists.
However, he notes the artists had some problems “with the way the store was being managed” and the arts council eventually “went bankrupt.”
Noting that despite the problems, “sales had been very good at The Harlequin Store,” Irvine said the artists considered aligning themselves with another arts council or a building owner who would let them display their work.
Eventually, he said, it was suggested “Why don’t we just start our own store. We all actually, despite what we were told, had a great deal of experience from running our own businesses.”
By the following September the group had its own store up and running and “every single year since then has been profitable for us.”
Irvine said the group has grown from about 26 members to 35 or 40. About 14 years ago, it moved to a historic building in Owen Sound’s downtown “which has a lot of parallels with this building (The Old Post).”
Members of the Owen Sound group pay a $35 monthly membership fee, plus 25 per cent of sales to the co-op, in addition to working a specified number of hours in the store and serving on committees.
The group hires a manager to run day-to-day operations.
Michael Hendricks told the group the next step would be for local artists to discuss the concept and determine if there is sufficient interest to move forward with a local cooperative.
