Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Cody Carter. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Cody, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

Our gallery founders wanted to take a piece of the coop mentality a – group of people who have come together to pool resources, share in decision-making and governance – but pair it with consignment opportunities for artists not desirous of business ownership. Besides, can you imagine 70 artists at a monthly meeting?! We shutter the thought! With a surplus of local talent to source from, all we had to do was provide a high quality venue. With a massive skylight, soaring ceilings, and 3400 square feet of display space in the heart of downtown, we felt confident we were positioned for many years of success.

Cody, 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?

My name is Cody Carter, born and raised in Prescott, AZ. I co-own Van Gogh’s Ear with my partners, John Lutes, Joanne Frerking and Christine Wallace. Growing up with much involvement in the arts, I don’t know why my parents thought I would not go to art school, but to their dismay, I did. As it turns out, I’m a halfway decent portrait painter, and I married an artisan to boot – literally – he makes shoes. Fast forward, and Van Gogh’s Ear was born. After spending almost five months renovating the space, Arizona governor, Janet Napolitano, presented the architect and gallery owners with a Main Street Award for historic reconstruction of a commercial space. Woohoo! Soon after that, Van Gogh’s Ear won the Niche Award for Retailer of the Year; an award offered in recognition of quality of artwork offered, ingenuity of display, as well as business skill. But in the end, it is ensuring honest, open and respectful relationships – whether between owner and artist, manager and employee or business and community – that remains the key to success or failure. Van Gogh’s Ear Gallery prides itself on its continued dedication to those principles and to its collection of top-notch art.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Having been in business for 21 years, you can well imagine we have endured some tough times. The economic downturn of 2008, and then an unprecedented disruption in commerce from Covid-19 delivered some major blows. As owners, we’ve had to float the gallery with personal resources at times, and work countless hours without compensation. However, once the dust settles, the community inevitably turns out to support us. We intelligently took mandatory Covid closure to replace the gallery carpet, paint all of the walls and pedestals. By the time we were up and running again, the space looked better than ever.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

Location, location, location! There are a host of less-expensive commercial spaces available, but we have strategically positioned ourselves on Historic Whiskey Row, which is literally the one street every tourist walks down when visiting Prescott. We rarely invest in paid advertising of any kind, but rather rely on organic foot traffic. The longterm capture occurs when visitors receive top notch customer service and an unforgettable gallery experience.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://vgegallery.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vangoghseargallery