Mary Praytor has watched trends and galleries come and go since she opened her art gallery 23 years ago. Known as a haunt for eclectic and fine art collectors, her gallery clientele has changed as downtown tourism has grown. Praytor has expanded her offerings to include more pieces in the $200 range and is carrying small items, including handmade jewelry and fiber crafts, to accommodate a more diverse customer base. Tourists wander in and people stroll through on their lunch break. Even if they can’t afford a $500 or $1000 piece of art, if they love the gallery, they want to buy something, she says.
Since Liz Daly moved her studio, gallery and gift shop, Daly Designs, from 640 to 421 South Main Street four years ago, her sales numbers have continued to rise. “I’ve had the best year in sales in 10 years,” she says. From functional gifts to repurposed and upcycled art, she also knows that one price point does not fit all. She credits her success to the increased foot traffic downtown and more interest in avoiding big box stores and buying local.
“There is so much energy downtown,” says Praytor. “Even after a tough day it makes shop owners want to come back to work and have another day with it.” Metropolitan Arts Council reports there are more than 800 performing and professional artists in Greenville. Several factors are contributing to the success of the arts in Greenville, says Executive Director Alan Ethridge. The number one thing is the growth of public awareness of how important the arts are in terms of tourism, urban revitalization and cultural options. Low cost studio space and an ever-growing number of gallery and co-op spaces make downtown attractive to artists.
“It’s a two way street. The arts bring in tourists and tourism funds the arts,” says Ethridge. “Art Crossing, for instance, is a great tourist draw.” The multiuse building houses low cost studios for 18-20 local artists by the Reedy River. Additional studio spaces are planned as a part of developer Phil Hughes’ mixed-use RiverWalk project at the corner of West Camperdown Way and River Street.
2010 was the best year Metropolitan Arts Council has ever had financially. A record $306,154 was granted out to artists and organizations, and for the first time in 37 years, the organization raised over $1 million. Already in 2011, they are averaging 20 percent ahead of where they were the same time last year in terms of income.
“Look how Greenville has grown in the past 10 years. The arts have had to grow with it,” says Ethridge.
Performing arts venues are also faring well. “We keep setting record sales numbers,” says Rachel Vann, Director of Development for The Warehouse Theatre. “Our ticket sales grew by 50 percent last year and we sold out 43 consecutive performances.” “It’s not all roses and good times, but we have a loyal group in the community and those are the kind of people who will see us through.” Their current season opened in August with Metamorphoses, which sold out two consecutive weekends. Their season continues with The Elephant Man, which opened October 14th.
“We have the Peace Center for the Performing Arts, Greenville County Museum of Art and Greenville Symphony. The arts are very well supported around here,” says Ethridge. He is excited to see some of the more suburban areas of Greenville County embracing the arts with their own arts centers. Fountain Inn’s Center for Visual and Performing Arts, Travelers Rest’s Trillium Arts Centre, and Mauldin’s Cultural Arts Center are all providing arts opportunities for their communities.
Arts in Greenville are still growing and expanding, from artist gallery space in the proposed Reedy Square to additional artist studio space at RiverWalk and a thriving West Greenville Arts District. “People here value the arts, not just from a cultural standpoint, but from a business standpoint.
It makes good business sense to support the arts,” says Nancy Whitworth, Executive Director of Department of Economic Development for the City of Greenville. She says Greenville has not experienced quite the same economic difficulties as other parts of the country.
“Greenville, compared to the rest of the country, has gone relatively unscathed in the downturn. How else do you explain the Peace Center renovation?” says Ethridge. They broke ground on the $22 million project in early 2011. “There’s no doubt that place will be successful.”
Sandy Ruff owns Hampton III Gallery, the oldest running gallery in South Carolina located at 3110 Wade Hampton Boulevard. The gallery set record-high selling prices for two of their exhibiting artists this year. “We are thankful to just keep going,” she says.