The Garage on 25: An Upcycled Lifestyle FLETCHER, NC - The Garage on 25 is as much an experience as it is a hub for the arts. The owners of The Garage on 25 have taken an eclectic approach to their Fletcher, NC artisan mall, mixing 80 artists, craftspeople and vintage pickers together under one roof. Combined with a café, a music venue and an active art studio, The Garage spotlights the colorful local arts scene and people in western North Carolina. Four women gathered in the summer of 2016, and decided to create something new in Northern Henderson County, stemming from their passion and love for the arts and for the wonderful talent located in this region. Three of the partners are natives of Tryon, N.C. and grew up together - Ellen McCown Schwab, Lisa Preston Clark and Susan Brady. Kaye Youngblood, the fourth partner, is a native of Fletcher, and taught Ellen and Lisa’s children during her career at Hendersonville High. The enterprise is very much a business, but also like a family business in many ways: Susan’s son Stephen Morris runs the sales desk; Kaye’s son Jake works on projects after school; Lisa’s husband Rick wears many hats; cousins, parents, kids, friends of the partners and also of the Garage’s 80 vendors– everyone lends a hand. Represented are acclaimed folk artists, handmade furniture craftspeople, and visual artists of all types, potters, and creative people who re-purpose upcycle and recycle items April 2018 | 50 + Living
into delightful creations. Not to mention the very talented group of vintage pickers – furniture, home décor, clothing and the unexpected. The shop is about all things fanciful… the collectable and the desirable
Workshops and classes in the Garage’s art studio, officially “The Studio Underground”, are taught by the Studio’s Artists-in-Residence, whom are also Garage vendors. Filling the Studio Underground’s calendar are: · Acrylic Painting – teaching the art of painting with acrylics, focusing on a variety of subjects, and one very popular pet portraiture class where you can “Paint Your Pet”; · “Found Object” Jewelry – transforming a beloved or unusual item into wearable art;
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