An editorial on the state of art retail from a store owner perspective:

For those who don't know, the Gabriola Refillery is closing, a beautiful little shop that reflects many a Gabriolan's values. Hayley did an amazing job with ALL aspects of her business. I was inspired by her Insta feed, so smart and funny. It is the economic times that did it I think  and the delicate logistics of running a business on an island with a small population.

The thing is I can’t help feeling deeply anxious about her store closing because now there are two new “downtown”  retail venues open for lease. Since there is literally nothing stopping it, someone could open up another gift and art/craft store on Gabriola. (It does tend to happen)when there is not enough business for the ones that are already open!

Folks, The slices of the Retail pie on Gabriola are already too small.

I had wanted to open Nova in 2020 on a trial basis, and it was on the premise that Pier Gallery and I could both survive. I had tested the market ahead of time, with pop-ups, the last one over the Christmas when Free Spirit had suddenly opened. I didn’t think that 3 galleries could survive, but then the numbers were great that Xmas for me in spite of Free Spirit, so I went ahead. Unfortunately, that Xmas was just a blip, a post-pandemic gleeful spending season. Now Nova is only open due to my unique life situation. I must say though we  are on quite an upward trajectory as of fall of 2024 to now. Not enough yet to be long-term viable , but it is looking good. This year we put $60,000+ in to the pockets of local artists and makers.

So shoppers and makers, please support us. We need more makers of housewares, clothes and jewellery, (gifty things) as much as we do the shoppers. Handmade and local is the top seller at Nova, and we get all the visitors all week long, all year long now.

Much love and thanks to those who do already support us.

And it is true, an art card sale makes a difference.A dozen incense, a new journal. It means we keep the doors open for the gallery to continue upstairs. Our card sales have skyrocketed over the past year, thank you.

Kate Wood

Owner

Nova Gallery and Gift Shop.