We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jay T Jax a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Jay T, appreciate you joining us today. Taking care of customers isn’t just good business – it is often one of the main reasons folks went into business in the first place. So, we’d love to get a conversation going around how to best help clients feel appreciated – maybe you can share something you’ve done or seen someone do that’s been really effective at helping a customer feel valued?

My passion is the arts. My creative gift is sculpting wood into a story, which brings me to why I began Art Machine Gallery. Artists are an expression of their world, of their vision and thoughts through various forms, including canvas, clay, graphic design, and fabric to name a few mediums.

My work is an adventure; I spend days trolling the streets for downed trees or freshly-cut wood. Once I discover a perfect piece of wood, the one with the grain moving in a certain direction or the wood decomposed in an odd way, I get it into my car, and haul it into my work studio. The inspiration may come within days or at that moment, and when it does, nothing can stop my chisel or tools.

It’s that moment of wood selection that brings out the best of me through my sculpting for the customer. Selling not only a one-of-a kind work of art, but one with a real story attached. When art is purchased, it’s about the customer as well as the artist. A perfect chemistry.

The vision has always been a gallery, where art aficionados can gather among the artists and discover. Art Machine Gallery includes the wheels and cogs of art as a whole – from creation to purchase. Art feeds the soul on many levels. Although mostly visual, many of the artists at Art Machine Gallery use texture and dimension to bring a tactile experience to the art. It’s this eclectic menagerie of 16 artists that appeals to our customers, the Best of the Best located in The Silos at Sawyer Yards in Houston, TX. Our customers, new and seasoned, can decide by viewing the hundreds of art works that bring appreciation to working within their timeframe, the location, and our ability to accommodate their needs.

Jay T, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Art Machine Gallery was created to promote emerging visual artists from Houston and the surrounding area. Some of our artists live within minutes and others take an hour or more to arrive at The Silos at Sawyer Yards in Houston TX. Being open every Saturday, our artists find themselves in the gallery working the crowd, selling art and, honestly, we have a really good time as friends and an art family. Our visitors find themselves indulging to the whole grand affair!

I chose Sawyer Yards because it’s in a state-recognized Cultural District which boasts the highest concentration of working artist studios in the country. That speaks volumes for our customers and artists. My decades of business experience in commercial printing, marketing, and my passion for art is the perfect chemistry for success. Art Machine Gallery is the only collaborative gallery in The Silos which brings 16 artists, salon-style, in one location vs. the rest of the complex where the artists use their space as working studios.

I’m proud that I have accomplished my vision. It’s a humbling moment when I take a photo of the artist with their new art owner and ring up the sale. Seeing the artist take that deep breath and smile. There is something magical about making a sale as an artist and I am grateful to facilitate.

Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?

Art Machine Gallery is built on brand loyalty. We’ve won the Houston Chronicle’s “Best of the Best” Art Gallery 2022 and 2023. Our customers know that every time they come to the gallery, they will find either new works of art or a new artist showing, or they are coming back to add to their collection with a new piece from their favorite artist.

We love our guests and customers; we always have a welcoming buffet to enjoy a snack and a beverage as they walk around the gallery conversing with the artists or quietly taking in all the diverse and original art. Many of our artists are award-winning, while others bring their local fame to the gallery.

Our artists actively post on their social media pages and Art Machine Gallery will then re-post. It’s phenomenal chemistry. As with most artists, working a “real” job is necessary, being art is seasonal in sales and subjective in taste. Marketing is the main ingredient for success in the art sales industry and with many of the artists savvy in social media trends in videos and photography, they post on their pages, tag @art_machine_gallery.

When we have events or news to share, an email blast fits the bill. We know we have made an impression when the same folks show up a few times a year, seeking out their favorite artist or to enjoy the atmosphere and art.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

Teamwork is essential for our success at Art Machine Gallery. We are unique to the Sawyer Yards complex being that we are the only gallery in The Silos building. This allows us to use our space in a valuable way, showcasing 16 artists, each with their own art and personality style.

As the curator, I jury-process each artist into the gallery with an interview and review of their art. I also have to understand their personality style and compatibility with the resident artists. This is essential to see that our goal of selling art is accomplished through an enticement that is harmonious even when each art style is contrasting.

It’s quite an experience to come to Art Machine Gallery. The artists have this amazing energy that captivates everyone who ventures in. Each artist works with the customer to give insight and appreciation to their work of art as well as lend a voice to another artist’s pieces. It’s a celebratory environment, which we gladly toast with refreshments.

Second and Third Saturdays are a treat to experience at the gallery. On these days, the whole complex is open and there is quite a crowd of people filling the corridors and studios and most of our artists are onsite. If you haven’t had the chance to discover our 16 Artists; Kathryne Lieser, Wendy Moreland, Michele Petrucci, Alexis Andrei, Elizabeth Marie, Leslie DeHaven, Yvonne O’Shaughnessy, Marti Jordan, Sasha Van Schalkwyk, Micaela Perdomo, Kay Hand, Mike Quinn, Joanne Kendall, Devayani Vaishnav, Judy Alonso and myself yet, you now know where to go for something to do in Houston on the weekends: Art Machine Gallery 1502 Sawyer Street #215, Houston, TX, 77007, open Saturdays 12-5.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/art_machine_gallery
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/artmachinegallery/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@artmachinegallery-houston
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/art-machine-gallery-houston