One of St. Louis’s most art-friendly areas has a new gallery.
The Delmar Loop is now home to Artisans in the Loop, a new gallery space created by Wendy and Mike Harris. Mike is better known for creating Eyewearhaus, a St. Louis eyeglasses boutique. But for Wendy, this has been the fulfillment of a lifelong dream.
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“As a child, I always wanted to own a store, I just didn’t know what kind,“ she says. Wendy got her start in the art world when she began designing jewelry in 1999, and her love has only grown since. “I went to different art galleries and decided that would be the kind of store I had.”
Wendy’s knowledge of the art world led her to gain a critical insight, saying that, “When I looked around galleries I would say, ‘I don’t like the way they’re displaying.’” She finally saw the opportunity to fulfill her dream when she retired in January, after spending over 20 years working in healthcare.
Wendy was only in retirement for a few weeks when a space opened in the Delmar Loop. She decided to lease.
“I grew up in an area by Pittsburgh, and the streets of the Delmar Loop remind me of where I grew up,” Wendy says. “I really now feel like I’m home again and that I belong there.”
“I sent out a call, and anyone that was interested would send me photos of their work. A lot of them I [already] knew…I was overwhelmed by the response,” Wendy says. It was harder for her to select which pieces she wanted to showcase. “They key for me was I didn’t want artwork that would compete with other artists…everything is different.”
Once Wendy had all the art, she finally got to create the gallery she envisioned, saying “I wanted to make sure when you walk in, all you see is art.”
And if you’re wondering about the theme of the gallery, there isn’t one. For Wendy, “the theme is art.”
Artisans in the Loop is currently open to the public. A grand opening will be held in June.
