Meet Elizabeth Shick | Medical and Whimsical Illustrator

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

Hi Elizabeth, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
While eating lunch one day on Marietta Square, I noticed an art gallery emptying their stock during COVID. I told my husband that I should buy the space since I, myself, am an artist. Because it was already an established art gallery, here was no construction work to be done. All I had to do was find artists that wanted to rent out space inside and sell their artwork.

I already had one business that I started. I thought if I have done such a good job in keeping that afloat, surely I could handle a second, less stressful job like this. Now my gallery is an escape from what I do fulltime. It’s very fulfilling to me to be able to hang up different artwork and see customers come in and appreciating it all.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Most art galleries take 50% of what an artist makes off their sales whereas we only take 15%. We believe in promoting the small and local artists who haven’t had the opportunity to make it to fame or even outside of selling on Etsy. Our gallery focuses on the smaller scale of things and works to amplify them in terms of results.

It is definitely not an easy business. Art is something that is appreciated differently by all kinds of people. It is not a necessity that they need; like electricity or running water, so we do experience our slower times. Timing is a very important factor in all of this because there are certain times when our type of crowd is around. And we have to know how to pique their interest.

A portion of our success stems from our location. We are right on Marietta Square, so we expect a lot of foot-traffic whether that be from people having come from the restaurants or from City Hall. People pass by us during their leisurely errands and they get interested. We have over 30 different artists, so one can hope to find something that speaks to them out of our entire collection.

So far we have learned a lot from trial and error. What times are people usually out? What sells? What gets people into the door? It’s all about trying out new things and seeing what works.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Marietta Square is the perfect place to take anyone who is visiting the area. Firstly, I would make sure they come during a time that an event is taking place. Chalktoberfest and Harvestfest are just two of the very exciting festivals that take place on the Square. No matter what it is, there’s always an overwhelming amount of vendors and activities for people of all ages and interests to indulge in. The area all on its own is a hotspot. Whatever my friend is craving, they can find it on or around The Square. There’s all sorts of different shops, restaurants, and bars in the area. There’s no chance for anyone to not find something they want to do.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Running an art gallery is no easy job and cannot be done by one person alone. So, there are a few people I owe my success to.

First off, my husband, Kent Kuehne, is always working his butt off to conduct business in-store while I am stuck at my day job. Without his help, Ahoy! There Be Dragons would not be open to the public as much as it is today. And there would be not enough sales to keep the doors open. Also, too, he deals a lot with all legality matters in owning the building. His help takes a whole load off of my shoulders.

Another person who deserves a shoutout of success is the one behind all of the gallery’s marketing and communications to people; Cazi Thomas. She is a jack of all trades who is in charge of getting our name out to the public, talking with our artists, and arranging for the gallery to have a tent during events that take place on Marietta Square. If there’s any chance for us to join the Marietta crowd and sell, she’s already on the case.

But most importantly, I have all of the artists who rent space in the gallery to thank. Without them I would have a building filled with nothing but my own artwork. It would not be nearly as exciting nor fulfilling without their variety. Together with them I am able to run a successful art gallery that brings in people from all sorts of different backgrounds. I couldn’t imagine doing any of this without them.

Website: ahoytherebedragons.com

Instagram: @dragon_fantasy_gallery

Facebook: facebook.com/ahoytherebedragons

Other: Email: ahoytherebedragons@gmail.com

Image Credits
Cazi Thomas