How an Artist Unexpectedly Became a Gallery Owner

I owned and operated one of the premier art galleries in the mountains of Western North Carolina for over a decade. From 2011 to 2023, One of a Kind Art Gallery (OOAK) in tiny Micaville, NC became a destination for both locals and visitors. We hosted live music, seasonal events, and housed a lovely coffee shop in an adjacent space. At its peak, OOAK represented more than 180 artists, craftspeople, musicians, and authors - a vibrant reflection of our creative community.

My career as a gallery owner was an unexpected one. I earned my BFA in Visual Art with a concentration in Ceramics from Clemson University in 1996, and all I wanted to do was make art. Over the next fifteen years, I moved several times, set up studios wherever I landed, and raised two children. In 2008, I founded Singing Tree Pottery in Yancey County, believing I had finally found my forever home. I knew there was a strong clay community there, but I hadn’t yet discovered how wide and deep the local art world was.

Then in 2011, two fellow clay artists and I had an idea to plan and host our own event. We weren’t trying to start a gallery, just an art show to highlight the incredible clay and glass artists in Yancey County. But fate had other plans. When we learned that a local artist friend was selling her gallery, we talked through what we thought running a gallery would look like. I took home the receipts, ran the numbers, and realized we could make it work.

A few long conversations and planning sessions later, we transformed One of a Kind from a folk art and pottery shop into a thriving local art gallery. We opened our doors on April 1, 2011.

None of us set out to run a business. We just wanted to create, have fun, promote local artists, and make a little money. After all, everyone knows artists aren’t businesspeople, right?

Two years later, my partners decided to step away from OOAK to return to their studios. I had a long talk with myself (well, several). My choice was simple: either run this business on my own or go get a “real job.” Part of me still believed what I was doing wasn’t a real job.

But what I learned through OOAK changed everything. It became so much more than a job. Running that gallery transformed who I believed myself to be, what I believed I was capable of, and how much impact one person can have on a creative community.

Today, my goal is to share what I’ve learned - to help artists and gallery owners build thriving, sustainable, and joyful art businesses.