We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Josie Garcia a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Josie, thanks for joining us today. One of the things we most admire about small businesses is their ability to diverge from the corporate/industry standard. Is there something that you or your brand do that differs from the industry standard? We’d love to hear about it as well as any stories you might have that illustrate how or why this difference matters.

Cocoon Art Space is an art gallery and artisan goods shop but is unlike any gallery you have ever experienced. Many contemporary galleries have a focus on 2D and 3D visual art, but Cocoon also includes handcrafted and low-volume artisan goods. Quite often, artisan goods are overlooked and considered “crafts” or completely discounted by galleries as unworthy of precious space. In our mind, creatives with attained skills and raw talent are just as important to our business model as the large paintings and mixed media pieces hanging on the walls.

Our group art show themes do not align with those of traditional galleries. Art is many things to many people, but for us, an element of fun is important for an art exhibition. With past themes like dinosaurs, poisonous plants, and cats, we have increased our customer reach by offering approachable and honest shows while displaying the art of veteran and emerging artists in a wide range of mediums.

We love museums and ultra-modern galleries and the art they hold within, but we are not interested in providing that kind of cold atmosphere or clinical viewing experience. Cocoon Art Space is a relaxed, inviting, and comfortable location to discover art by Michigan artists and goods by Michigan makers. Cocoon blurs the lines between an art gallery and a gift shop as the Artful, Cozy, Wondrous Place!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Art has always been a part of my life. It was something I understood and valued. Over the years I have explored with various mediums including acrylics, watercolors, fiber and recycled materials. After college, I began teaching drawing classes for children at the local elementary schools in the area where I lived. Through that program, I met a fellow teacher who shared an interest in some of the creative areas I did. After several meetups and discussions, we decided to work together to create art and open an art studio for children. We were quite successful, particularly in providing fun and interactive art classes and camps for youths. From there, we found ourselves working for a non-profit art organization where our studio was located. We learned a great deal about working with artists, local city agencies and art patrons to develop more extensive programming including exhibits and festivals centered around recycled art. After a few years, and feeling the need to explore more of my own creativity, I began working on various projects making handmade home decor, art figures and collectibles with my business partner at the time and other creatives including my current business partner–Tedd Smith. During that time I had an opportunity to participate in managing a private art gallery in a historic, walkable art district and that is where the idea of someday owning an gallery began!

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

We met while working in administration at a non-profit art center. While both of us are artists, Tedd Smith and I wore a lot of hats and managed many elements of the lean organization including public art projects, annual art festivals, hanging gallery exhibitions, summer art camps, art education, teen programs, marketing, grant writing, and fundraising. It was a lot of work and learned we could count on one another to get things done! It was probably too much, since we each decided to leave the organization for our own reasons. We went our separate ways for a time. When a friend aksed me to open and manage a boutique art gallery for her, I realized I needed someone I could count on to make it happen–this was a perfect opportunity for Tedd and I to work together again. Together, we made it happen. We worked with some really great artists in a time and place where the art scene was really active. The business did not require a full time team, so we each had regular day jobs. The gallery, however, was our passion! COVID changed the scene, so we shut down the gallery, but remained in each others’ lives. The gallery was something we told ourselves we would do again on our own terms. As it turns out, the opportunity with a perfect space appeared on our radar in October 2022. The lease was signed in November and we opened the doors to Cocoon Art Space on Black Friday!

Does your business have multiple or supplementary revenue streams (like a ATM machine at a barbershop, etc)?

While Cocoon is now our daily endeavor and most public face, a lot of people know us for our handmade monster collectible business, Monstorium! Over the last couple of years, we traveled around Michigan for art and craft shows, maker markets, farmers markets, and holiday events to sell our custom monster plushies, hand painted wood figurines, and a myriad of paper products. Through these efforts, we have created a fanbase who adore our products and kindly refer to us as, “the monster family!”

Since opening Cocoon Art Space in downtown Grand Rapids, our Monstorium goods have been included in the shop’s inventory, and while we don’t participate in as many weekend art markets, we still make an effort to get out there when we can! West Michigan’s art and maker community has offered us support, led us down many paths to friendship, and the connections we have made with other artists and makers provide us a great pool of resources for our art exhibitions and retail shop!

In addition to selling in Cocoon, our monster-themed goods are available to purchase online at monstorium.com and can be found popping up during the summer and fall months at art markets around West Michigan.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.cocoonartspace.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cocoonartspace/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cocoonartspace/