Welcome to my new readers!

Welcome to my new readers!  Well, at least I hope I have some new readers.  I just blasted an email out to 700 contacts on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Xing, telling them about my new adventure as a co-owner and co-director at Cain Schulte Contemporary Art and plugging my new blog.  As you'll see, I started with a "Hello World" post about 6 weeks ago, learning my way around Blogger and finding my sea legs, as it were.  


The past few weeks have been exciting, busy, and anxious.  After 6 months of negotiating for a space, just in the past 3 weeks, we executed the lease, designed the remodel, started the remodel, chose the artists for the inaugural show (14 artists in all!).  Next, mailing the invitations, manning the phones to make sure people (especially the press and collectors) show up, and planning the party itself.  


Plus finalizing the new (and bigger) space itself -- refrigerator, closets, storage racks, installing new lights, and hanging the art.  Desk, chairs, shelves, and everything else we haven't thought of yet.  (Will we need an umbrella stand?  Coat rack?)  VoIP or POTS? 


We open our doors on April 9.  As for the opening party on the 16th, still making many decisions about catering, entertainment, etc.


On top of that, we have to move out of our temporary space this week, although our new space won't be ready to receive our stuff until April 2 (possibly earlier).  So it looks like we'll be moving the art, furniture, etc., into my garage for a week or two. 


As for now, back to the busy-work of collating and normalizing 4 separate mailing lists, address books, and contact lists. Good thing Andre is a self-taught programmer and I have a background (way-back) in databases.  We decided on vtiger CRM to manager our clients (leads and collectors) and inventory (art).  Any experience or tips on using that for an art gallery (or any business for that matter?)


Before I jumped into this venture, a new book was published that I found very useful.  In fact, my co-owner, Marina, who has been running a gallery for years, found it useful.  If you're ever interested in doing something like this, I highly recommend "How to Start and Run a Commercial Art Gallery."  Sounds kinda corny (certainly better than "Galleries for Dummies"), but educational, nonetheless.


Again, welcome to my new readers and I hope you find my writing interesting and entertaining enough to keep coming back.


Cheers!


Updated May 4, 2010.