We were lucky to catch up with Ethan Johnson recently and have shared our conversation below.

Ethan, appreciate you joining us today. Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?

The four of us (Chris Fredlund, Will Odell, Cam Palatine, and myself (Ethan Johnson)) came up with the idea for Catalyst while vending a local craft market together. Will and I had a gem and mineral business together (Denver Gem Collection) and Cam and Chris are jewelry artists. Will and I had been wanting to open a storefront for our business and Cam and Chris wanted to get in on it as well and four heads are better than two! So, we sat down in May of 2022 and started hashing out what needed to be done to make this dream possible. We dissolved Denver Gem Collection and created the new LLC for Catalyst. Then we began the hunt for a physical location to set up shop. We found the space we are currently in and all the pieces started to fit. We’re renting out a flex space which has a big warehouse back that we converted to our gallery, a retail area in the front and an upstairs for our office and jewelry studio. We built out our store and gallery with a lot of upcycled materials we found online. With connections through the community and a bit of elbow grease, we had transformed our space from a hell red dungeonscape to the bright heavenly art filled paradise we have today. Couldn’t have asked for a better set up at such an affordable price. The only downside is that we are a bit off the beaten path, so we had to come up with some creative techniques to let people know we are here. We put together some guerilla marketing plans and canvassed the area with yard signs directing people to our store and hung-up posters and hand flyers all over town. Of course, we used social media too. Word of mouth was also very important to getting our name out there. People loved what we were about and what our vision was right off the bat, and we immediately started working with some of the best jewelers and artists in the game. Having no experience running a business like this there were a lot of learning curves to start but having been open for a year now we have found a rhythm. There is still a lot to learn as we go especially since our company is basically three businesses in one. We are a gem and jewelry store, consignment art gallery, and event & workshop coordinators. Everyday there is a new challenge but we never back down and we adapt to whatever may be bestowed upon us.

Ethan, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’ve always been the artsy type. I’ve been drawing and painting ever since I can remember. I’ve always been into gems and minerals too. My dad would take my brother and I out rockhounding all the time when we were kids, which we continue to do today. I then grew a larger interest in geology when I was in high school while exploring the rock outcrops where I grew up in Larkspur. These rocks are a part of the Fountain Formation which are the same rocks that make up Red Rocks, The Flat Irons, and Garden of The Gods on the front range in Colorado. So you can get an idea of why I got so intrigued with geology. I wanted to know “why were these rocks here?” and “how did they form?”. I then went on and earned my bachelor’s degree in geology in Durango, CO, which helped answer those questions and further grew my intrigue in the beauty of earth science. After that I moved to California to earn my graduate gemologist diploma at the Gemological Institute of America. That is where I met Will Odell and started Denver Gem Collection. Which, as you know from my answer to the previous question, turned into Catalyst. We’re trying to do things a bit different at Catalyst. We are more than just an art gallery. We showcase some of the finest artisanal one-of-a-kind jewelry alongside the incredible hangable art. We have over 50 jewelers and painters on display in our gallery and work really hard to get these artists some more exposure, which they truly deserve. All four of us owners have backgrounds in gems and jewelry, and all create unique one-of-a-kind pieces too. With our knowledge and skills, we have become trusted members of the community for others to come to with questions regarding gemstones or the jewelry making process. With that our customers can rely on us to make repairs to their beloved pieces of jewelry or gemstones. We provide repair services not just for metal work but also for stones themselves with our experience and skills in the lapidary world. Not too many businesses in this area offer lapidary services so I believe that helps us stand out. We also provide a space for artists to teach their own workshops and classes. We like to have everyone participate and grow a love for the beautiful things the human mind can create so these workshops, taught by some of the most talented artists we have on display in our gallery, allows everyone, at all skill levels, to be engaged and encouraged to create. Art is therapy for the soul and no matter what medium I believe everyone is an artist in one way or another and it’s important for, not only oneself but for the entire global community, that we tap into that artistic part of ourselves and make this world that much more colorful and enjoyable to be a part of. We also throw other events in order to get the community engaged. We put on a First Friday Art and Music Showcase every month at another gallery in downtown Denver every month. These events are amazing, and they get so many people excited about art! We do unveilings of new works from many great artists every month as well as have a good handful of live painters. These events not only encourage people to get out and show appreciation for these incredible works, but they also push the artists to create new works and push them to create the best they can offer to showcase at these events. That’s what I love most about throwing these showcases. It’s not just about bringing the art to the public eye but also pushing the artists to go above and beyond and create something new and step out of their comfort zone. Catalyst stands out from any other gallery or shop because of this. These events and our combined knowledge and skills and our connections with the artists themselves is what makes us different. We will continue to break the norm as a gallery and keep the community engaged and encouraged to create! That’s how art, in every medium and every aspect, will evolve.

How’d you meet your business partner?

I met one of the cofounders when we attended the Gemological Institute of America in Carlsbad, CA. I met Will Odell out there on my first day of classes. We ran into each other outside, both of us wearing wire wrap pendants. We complimented each other on our pendants and found out we were both from Colorado. Having the same taste in music and similar interests we hit it off and founded our first company, Denver Gem Collection, while up late streaming a concert in my garage. We bought our first parcels of gemstones that very night from a dealer in Pakistan that I had built a business relationship with prior. We built that business up for about 5 years and then partnered with Cam Palatine (Chakra Roots Jewelry) and Chris Fredlund (Freedom Formations) to form Catalyst in 2022.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I believe that all four of us being artists has helped build our reputation as a gallery. We know what it’s like to put our work in stores and galleries on both ends and we want the artists we feature in our gallery to be treated fairly and respectfully as we would like to be treated as artists ourselves. Being transparent and honest with our artists is very important. We try to be inclusive as well, switching out artists to live paint and unveil new work at our events. We want more artists to have a chance to get in the spotlight rather than just a select few every time. Diversity is important and I believe we have a reputation of allowing others to come out and get some exposure. With the gem and mineral side of our business the fact that two of us have our graduate gemologist diplomas means we can be trusted on what we are talking about and we hold ourselves to a higher standard than your typical “rock shop”. With a reputation to uphold in that area we treat everyone that walks in our door as our number one customer, and we are honest and ethical with any knowledge or services that we provide to our customers. Our honesty, respect, knowledge, and ethics are what has built our reputation and what we strive to continue to uphold.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.catalystgalleryco.com
• Instagram: @catalyst.gallery
• Facebook: Catalyst Gallery