My wife and I have a bit of a coffee addiction — OK, so maybe it’s just my addiction. But we spend a lot of time at our local cafe: CC’s Community Coffee House.
Simply asking the managers of CC’s Coffeehouse in Prairieville opened up a public exhibit space for my art.
One of the cool things about the small storefront is that the owners have one long wall on which they have allowed local artists and photographers to display their work. I’ve always been a bit jealous, but the wall has always been full.
And then a couple of weeks ago, all the art disappeared and the wall stood empty. I saw this one my way to work one morning when I made a quick stop to grab some medium roast. I was in a hurry, and simply grabbed the coffee, looked longingly at the wall and jumped into my truck.
A few days a later, buddy Leigh Rogers called and gave me some grea
t news: Not only was the wall still open, but he had asked one of the managers if anyone was set to fill the wall and was told they were looking for some art. Leigh mentioned my work, and the barista (Zack) said he’d love to talk with me.
I hurried to the shop that evening, ordered some coffee (hey, I needed to butter them up) and hailed Zack. I pulled up fine art photos on my iPhone app and flipped through a few with him. Zach promised to talk about the head manager and get back with me — but he was encouraging, so I left with high hopes.
A few days later, Zach told me the wall was mine to fill.
I was blown away. Here was the opportunity to get my work out to an entirely new audience — for free.
That evening, I spent a few hours sorting my photos and deciding which images I’d display first. I made the order with expedited shipping and started accumulating some frames.
Two nights later I was hanging the art on the wall. I now have 10 (soon to be 12) images on the wall, and I added a simply card with my contact and Web site information, along with prices.
And the CC’s staff is excited because instead of a bare wall, their customers are greeted with a selection of images from around the South.
It’s only been a couple of days, but I’m expecting traffic to the Web site to increase and I’ve ordered a Square credit card reader to accept payments when CC’s clients call to purchase any of the prints.
The lesson is simple: If you see an empty wall at a business, it never hurts to ask if you can help them out by hanging your images. it’s a win-win situation.