By Martin Gibson
Columbia Gorge News
THE DALLES — Tucked into an old brick building, with a window-full of crystals catching the sun and a back room jammed with everything from flutes to printed shirts, Artisan Market works to support local makers and part-time artists year-round.
With 34 local vendors’ work tucked into a small and complex space, the gallery repays careful exploration: Rocks and crystals share space with Native American-style flutes, rose-hip garlands, landscape paintings, wood-turned bowls, and handmade dolls. Crocheted animals, carved fish, and 3-D printed dragons lurk. Scented candles, lavender products and soap share their displays with tiny one-of-a-kind carvings. Retracing your steps reveals a whole new array of treasures you couldn’t see while facing the other way.
“I think places like this show the heart of the community that they’re in, and our community has a good heart,” said co-owner Robyn Jensen, who keeps some of the sparkliest, least expensive crystals on low shelves where kids can browse them.
Jensen and co-owner Ruth Gibbs opened the gallery 18 months ago. It started in partnership with a local costume shop, but when that fell by the wayside after a couple of months, Jensen and Gibbs struck out on their own.
They knew the town didn’t have an artist’s co-op, and they wanted one.
All vendors are local, with the most distant coming from Goldendale. Some offer small classes in painting, beading, crochet, candle-making and Cricut here as well.
Gibbs and Jensen run the space, and charge vendors a small commission and a fee. They tried to make it a true art co-op, where vendors all share the daily tasks, but that didn’t fit with people’s schedules or the economy.
The biggest challenge, they said, is getting The Dalles aware of them. Few locals drop in, and they’re still finding customers surprised by their existence.
For Jensen, the highlight is “watching the artists develop themselves,” she said. Seeing their styles change, watching their skill increase, watching scared artists relax into buoyant happiness at featured events. “In a weird way, it’s like you’re the mama to them, right? You’re embracing their creativity, and you’re helping them have the confidence to keep moving forward.”
Over 60% of customers are tourists, they said. With construction in areas near the tour-boat dock on Union Street, many downtown buildings empty, and the national economy worse than Jensen’s ever seen it, keeping their small business alive is hard.
“If it was not for the cruise ship industry, we would not be here right now,” Jensen said.
Jensen added a big tourist base in The Dalles is overlooked, however — drivers who pass through between Idaho and the coast, pausing to eat and stretch their legs, and maybe to buy a handmade book, or a houseplant, or a shiny stone. But many of them don’t stop to walk the sparsely-populated downtown streets.
She added, “The economy is a huge factor this year. Huge factor. People can’t even afford to buy groceries right now,” she said. “And so if it’s a choice between groceries or getting your daughter a bracelet, I hope you buy groceries. But at the same time, we want to thrive.”
Jensen and Gibbs enjoy their work despite the challenge.
“I like the environment that the arts create. I like the community the arts create. I like that this is also a good community space. We’ve had fundraisers and book signings and done a lot of things to help other members of the community that aren’t our full-time artists,” Jensen said.
“It’s nice that we have the farmers market to feature some of our local art and crafters, but it’s not a year-round solution for them, and this gives them a year-round indoor place to sell their creations and be represented locally.”
The pair consider retiring after their three-year lease expires, but they hope their vendors will be interested in continuing the co-op after that.
“Seriously, it’s a lot of work. But it’s been a labor of love for both of us. It’s kind of a family environment.”
Artisan Market is located 201 E. Second St., open Tuesday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Local artists are welcome to pop in with a sample of their work, the proprietors said.
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