Meet Coco Howe: Co-Founder (& Tani Greenspan – Co-Founder)

We had the good fortune of connecting with Coco Howe and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Coco, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I was on a walk with my friend, Tani, in the Garden District of New Orleans during the pandemic, and we noticed that all of the art galleries around us were closed. Restaurants and boutiques seemed able to pivot and do takeout or take to-go orders online. Art galleries, however, seemed to have shut down completely. It was really sad and striking, especially in New Orleans, where there’s so much culture. I am a software developer and had the skills to create the website that an online art gallery would need. Tani, an art history major and
artist herself, had the art training to curate a gallery. We were a perfect blend. We then reached out to contacts and poured ourselves into all-night work sessions to create The Poppy Society. Through several iterations of our business plan, we honed the vision for our market—young people like us, who might feel intimidated in a high-end art gallery but want to invest in personal, original artwork.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
As a business, we are proud to help artists succeed. One of our artists told us “When I graduated college, my parents wanted me to go into banking, and I went into art. They didn’t believe in me. But now that y’all are selling my work, I’m able to do this full-time. And now they believe I’m an artist.” That combined with bringing Millennials authentic, original art from relatable artists is what it is all about. We want to encourage Millennials to invest in pieces that inspire them rather than purchase mass-produced pieces for the sake of filling walls.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Wow – living in New Orleans, it’s hard to know where to start! We both live in the Historical Garden District of New Orleans, so we’d walk them around there first to explore the unique architecture. We’d stop for a jazz brunch at Commander’s Palace and spend the afternoon at the WWII Museum in New Orleans (we could spend days there). For dinner, we’d go to Galatoire’s and continue the party at Pat O’Briens with a hurricane! Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Representing these artists has been so inspiring for us. We feel honored to work with our artists and wouldn’t have a platform without them. Their work has paved the way for our business’ success.

Website: www.thepoppysociety.com

Instagram: @thepoppysociety

Image Credits
Paul Morse