Artists View Celebrating Grand Opening

New business that aims at supporting local artists will hold Grand Opening all weekend

Rebecca Wandkte wants her new business to be a haven for artists – a place where they can create and a place where they can sell their creations.

Artists View's Grand Opening begins Friday afternoon and continues through the weekend.

The store islocated at 1609 E. Main Street in Easley.

If Wandkte had had her way, she would have been a professional artist much sooner. She received a full four-year scholarship to an art school when she was 19.

But her parents, concerned she wouldn't be able to support herself with an art degree, didn't let her pursue the opportunity.

“They didn't understand about art and what you can do with it, so they said, 'Don't go',” Wandkte said. That led her into the medical field, including stints with a private ambulance company and delivering organs and tissues postmortem for Lifepoint.

“I did that for a number of years and I got totally burned out,” she said.

She decided she wanted to get back into the art field “and try to help other artists in this area and give them a voice.”

“There is really no place around here for artists to sell their work and their creations and have a voice,” Wandkte said. “Lots of places in downtown Greenville and Pickens are expensive for the day, just for a couple of hours.”

She wants Artists View to be a place “artists can call home.”

“We have lots of artists here,” Wandkte said.

In addition to being a place to buy art, Artists View will be a place to learn how to create it yourself.

“We're going to be teaching classes in here,” Wandkte said. “We're going to be working with the Y across the street. I'm going to do some teaching with their summer camp and afterschool care.”

She plans to offer a variety of art classes at the store.

“A lot of the artists are going to teach. One of our artists is a cartoonist, so on Saturdays he'll be doing a little cartooning class,” Wandkte said. “We'll be doing 'Girls Night Out' classes to encourage people, 'Don't go to Woodruff Road, stay in Easley and support your local small businesses.'

“We'll be doing plant classes and macrame classes and crochet classes,” she continued. “We have an antique dealer here so she'll be doing an antiquing class – what to look for when you're buying antiques.”

She hopes high school students embrace the shop and its classes.

“Maybe some high schoolers will be able to go to college and their parents will be like, 'Oh yeah, you can really do something with your art,'” Wandkte said. “Hopefully we'll be able to mentor some of the younger kids, too.”

“I'd like the shop to create its own energy,” Wandkte said. “I'm offering free coffee, tea and wi-fi. I want people to come here and hang out. I want them to get to know the artists and what they make and their families.”

In the front of the shop, Wandkte sells art on consignment. In the back room, artists can rent small spaces to either sell their art or use as a workspace.
“When customers come in they can actually see artists working,” Wandkte said. “I want the artists in this area to get as much exposure as they can.”

“I'm always looking for new talent and new artists to come and join the shop,” Wandkte said. “We still have lots of room.”

She hopes to hold small flea markets outside her store.

“Every second Sunday, we're going to be doing open mic night,” she said. “That should be interesting.”

She's encourage consultants for Mary Kay and Tupperware and other companies to use the store to host small gatherings for their customers.

“I'm trying to do little things like that to help other small businesses, and it attracts people who may not know the store is here. It's a win-win situation.”

The store is closed for sales on Sundays and Mondays, but will be open on Sundays for classes.

She asks that if artists sell in her shop that they don't “go down the street and sell too.”

“That defeats the purpose of having a brick-and-mortar,” Wandkte said.

The Grand Opening will be starts and noon on Friday and will run all day on Saturday and Sunday.
“We're doing free food and door prizes,” Wandkte said. “It's basically trying to get the word out that we're here.”

Door prizes include items from Main Street Diner, Spotlight Dance, Tip Top Cake Shop, Capri's, Dominos.

“It's really nice that people are helping us and supporting us,” Wandkte said.