We are so excited to be named the Coast Weekend best Gallery for 2020! Thank you everyone for supporting our gallery and Don Nisbett art!
We were actually winners for 2019 as well and were very excited. to be named number one, over a very nice gallery in Astoria, Oregon (Riversea gallery). The paper had invited us to a special banquet to announce winners, but that never happened due to the Covid 19 pandemic.
This year, Zoe Buchli, a writer for the Coast Weekend, notified us of our win via a Facebook message and interviewed us via email. I am copying the questions and answers here. I will also post below the links to the articles and videos the Coast Weekend (now Our Coast) posted online and in the March 18, 2021 edition of the Our Coast Weekend magazine distributed in the Chinook Observer and the Daily Astorian as well as other regional papers they own.
Questions from Zoe Buchli/ answers from Don Nisbett.
Tell me a little bit about the history of the gallery. How long have you guys been open in Ilwaco?
My wife, Jenna, and I started our business together in about 1999, before we were married. We were friends first and she had been my art rep for awhile. I love to tell people “I had to pay her too much commission, so I married her.” But the truth is that we are a great team and she encouraged me to pursue my dream of becoming a full time artist. She likes to tell people she discovered me, but I discovered her.
We opened our first gallery/studio in Battle Ground, WA. - just one week after 9/11. Our youngest son, Joe, was born just over a month later and has been part of our business from the start. The gallery was so small that we used to stash him in his carrier under a desk in the back and we took him with us to business events and even some mural jobs.
We ended up in Ilwaco when my wife had a decorating client in Vancouver that also had a vacation home in Ilwaco. We stayed there a couple of times while she worked on the project and I painted a mural in the bathroom. We discovered the Port of Ilwaco and fell in love. I started traveling on weekends to do the Ilwaco Saturday Market and Sunday Market in Astoria. My art was a good fit for the coast and sold well at the markets. We loved it so much that we eventually rented a small space at the Port and moved our business there about 17 years ago. We later moved to our current location and eventually changed the name to “Don Nisbett Art Gallery”. Even though my name is on the gallery sign, our business is a family business with others working both behind the scenes and at the gallery. Jenna and our son, Joe, both work with me at the gallery with me.
How has the pandemic impacted the gallery?
Of course, 2020 was a challenging year in many ways. Luckily, Jenna was able to stay informed about the constantly changing pandemic regulations so we could adapt to stay safe and be open when allowed.
Besides the obvious impact of having to shut down or reduce capacity; one of the biggest impacts to the gallery has been having trouble procuring the base materials I use to manufacture some of the products I sell. Some of our best selling items are still unavailable and it is very frustrating and also affects some of our wholesale accounts.
Have you been open for in-person viewing in recent months?
Yes, we have been open as allowed by state guidelines.
Have there been any challenges the gallery has faced that have stood out, and, conversely, have there been any successes?
We really missed all the canceled events! In addition to the fun memories these events help create for our community, they also generate a revenue stream for our business.
In September, when the Ilwaco Slow Drag was canceled, I was feeling worried about the loss of income heading into the fall and winter off season. At the last minute, I decided to paint a “No Drag, Slow Drag” tshirt design. I was so surprised when we ended up selling about 20 more of those tshirts than we typically sell at the event!
Another success for me is the love and support that we have received from the community and our customers. When we were shut down I started calling existing customers to offer gift certificate specials. Most people that I called purchased one. A few customers even called us, just trying to help by placing orders and purchasing gift certificates for future visits to the gallery. Every purchase, big or small, helped us make us through.
Has the gallery participated in any sort of virtual events during COVID?
We turned our local Crab Pot Christmas event into a drive by parade, but so far we haven’t really done any virtual events of our own. However, we do plan to do some online art business workshops and other events in 2021 and maybe some Facebook Live. We will also be part of the Astoria Crab Festival’s virtual event coming up in April. Jenna is already working on ideas and researching the technical aspects so we can participate.
Are there any changes or ways the gallery has adapted during COVID that you could see carrying beyond the pandemic?
Years ago, I taught myself the art of printing and I now print all my products in Ilwaco. I was able to start printing masks with my art and they continue to be a big seller. We are also excited to have our new website online and will continue to develop our online business as we can. We will also continue to offer curbside pick up and shopping by appointment as well.
I browsed the online inventory and love the COVID-inspired t-shirts! How did those get started?
That was Jenna’s idea. Our first Covid inspired painting was for our son’s class of 2020. We made tshirts where the two zeros in “2020” were made to look like rolls of toilet paper. We sold some of those and gave a portion of the proceeds to benefit what was supposed to be the class senior trip. (Of course that didn’t happen)
Then she had the idea that I paint a crab with toilet paper. But I was worried, I didn’t want to offend anyone or make people think I was making fun of a serious situation. But since I already had a line of bathroom art, including a crab sitting on the pot, I painted it and it was very well received. I have since painted several coronovirus inspired art pieces – most of them were Jenna’s ideas. For example:
When we were required to post signs at the gallery about masking up and social distancing; Jenna asked me to paint a crab with a mask and also the social distancing crabs. We used that art for our own signage as well as printed the art on products I sell like prints, magnets and tshirts. Many people don’t realize how many of my paintings are her ideas. Sometimes I forget who’s idea it was and tell her “I’ve got a great idea!”. She just smiles and says, “I told you to paint that last week.” We’re a good team!
During the shut down, one of my local customers saw some of the “essential worker” art on Facebook and commissioned me to paint her daughter, a nurse. The painting is a likeness of her daughter, a Rosie Rivetor style nurse, with a mask. This piece was posted online and the Ocean Beach Hospital and Medical Clinics bought tshirts for their crew with the art. It’s a great piece and continues to be a best seller.
I’ve been saying that 2020 was the best and the worst! I think the one of the biggest factors in our abiity to make it through these tough times is because of the ability to adapt and stay relevant. God gave me my talent that I share with others, but he also blessed me with a wonderful wife and business partner and family that supports me. I am grateful for every day that I get to be your local artist and live such a wonderful life in Ilwaco. I feel like the most loved artist in the world! We are so excited and proud to be chosen as 2020 Best Gallery!
LINKS to Announcements/ Videos/Articles:
https://www.discoverourcoast.com/coast-weekend/coastal-life/video-coast-weekend-readers-choice-awards-2020-winners/video_95506b96-86cc-11eb-a17b-eba63d24115b.html
https://www.discoverourcoast.com/coast-weekend/arts/arts-organizations-reflect-on-2020/article_bec6bb52-81df-11eb-ad6b-9f745e5d2ecc.html
