On June 28, the shingle on the door of 116 W. Second St., flipped from closed to open and the Gallery on Second, after a two and a half year hiatus, was back in business.
The shop, tucked in between a nail and hair salon, has been a fixture on the block for over two decades, but owner Kellie Wilke said a health issue with her mom led to her decision to put her shop in “moth balls.”
It was her mom, Pat Monroe, who purchased the building on Second Street over two decades ago. A series of businesses, including a pet store, a massage parlor, a call center and a gift shop occupied the renovated space for several years, but Wilke said after the gift shop closed, she and her mom made the decision to open the gallery.
“We started with the idea of it purely being an art gallery,” she said.
She and her mom ran the shop and often took on major refurbishing projects, even doing work for one of the local banks. But those days are over, she said. She still takes on special projects for customers, such as framing out glass plates that will hang on a wall, but larger projects are a thing of the past.
When she first decided to reopen her gallery, she knew she needed help and someone who could assist her in running it with the spirit that she and her mom had tried to instill. With that in mind, Wilke took a chance and hung a sign on her door asking if anyone was interested in becoming a business partner or a renter of the space. Then she ran across the street to look at furniture at New View. She was only gone for a few minutes when a woman came strolling by the shop, saw the sign and snapped a photo.
That was how she met her new gallery director, Kaitlin Vainowski. As luck would have it, Vainowski’s friend happened by the shop and snapped a photo and sent it to her. Vainowski phoned Wilke to inquire.
Wilke jokes about a nickname she has for her gallery director.
“I call her my needle because she’s my needle in the haystack.”
Vainowski is an artist in her own right and owns Kana Ipo Art. She is passionate about print making and credits her high school and college art instructors for inspiring her. As an artist, she loves restoring old items and often combs the resale shops looking for an old picture frame to rework.
“She’s resourceful,” Wilke said. “She can do things at a fraction of the cost.”
Since the soft opening in June, Wilke said people have popped into the gallery and are excited to see the business up and running again. The gallery features work from area artists who utilize different mediums. Besides traditional framed art pieces, the gallery sells stained glass, drawings, watercolors, alpaca products, handcrafted soaps, wax melts, candles, pottery and wood, glass and metal pieces. Vainowski’s Kana Ipo Arts also provides custom framing.
The Gallery on Second will hold a grand opening on Saturday, Nov. 11 from 11 am to 7 pm, and the public is invited. Customers can shop items from over 33 local artists, sample some hot cider and treats and enter for a chance to win a gift basket donated by the artists.
The gallery is open Wednesday through Friday from 9 am to 5 pm. Customers can check the business Facebook page for weekend hours, or make an appointment by calling (309) 853-5875.
