We recently connected with Jean McMullen and have shared our conversation below.

Jean, 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?

I retired from teaching Art in 2008. I was showing my own personal artwork, watercolor, in Fine Art Shows around the country. It was a very hot weekend and putting the tent up and down, plus selling took a toll on my husband and myself. Two days later my husband, Jerry had a heart attack. We then decided to thinki about other ways to show off my watercolors. I always had in the back of my mind that I would like to open a gallery. The Idea!! I started looking at buildings on Main St. in St. Charles, Mo. It’s a historical area and thought it would get alot of traffic. I made many trips to Main St. the next few weeks. I noticed that an upstairs to one building was just advertised. I contacted the owner and loved the space. I just had a good feeling about it. Upstairs – harder to get people in but my gut said you should try this. I contacted some of my artists friends and they also thought I should give it a try. So I signed the contract and the search was on. I decided to call the gallery Missouri Artists On Main. I invited only Missouri Artist. I was able to fine display cases on sale. looked into payment options. Decided on Square. My husband develped a hanging system for the 2D work, hung lights, made print binds, etc. It all came together in about 6 weeks. We opened the doors in April 2012 with opening festivities. We did alot of try and fail. Asked for opinions and ideas from a variety of people. Failed a number of times but learned alot along the way. There were a number of successes which lead us to the opportunity to take over the entire building 3 years later. Today I have over 42 Missouri Artists from around the state and we have won a number of awards and survived Covid! We hold exhibits, classes, educational partnerships with schools and even give tours. Needless to say, with the support of my wonderful, talented artists, the community and my family we are here to stay. I’d like to say special thanks for Rosanne Sartori and Jerry McMullen. If it wasn’t for their knowledge, support and endless hours given to the gallery we probably wouldn’t of made it this far.

Jean, 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?

I graduated with a Master in Art Education. I taught in Ritenour School District for 25 years and retired not because I didn’t love my job, but because I broke my hip and standing and teaching was very hard physically on me. I was very sad to leave my dream job. In the summer while I was teaching, I always showed my work in Fine Art Shows around the country and continued this after retirement. I have always been involved in a variety of Art, from being on the educational board at the St. Louis Art Museum where I wrote lesson plans for other educators, teaching workshops, and represented my school distrist. I even won an award for my innovative teaching ideas. I was board member of Mosaics Fine Art Fair and the Children area chair. I also taught adults watercolor and became the artist of the month at the St Louis Botanical Garden. There are other things I’m proud of but will leave that for another time. Because of all my art experience I felt I had the talent to select quality artists for my gallery. I felt knowledgeable to talk about Art. I felt compelled to continue to teach! I felt may background gave a good bases for offering the client the quality of work that a quality business would offer.

How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?

First of all, the quality of Artists and their artwork at the gallery speaks for itself. People like the variety of artwork we offer in 2D and 3D Art. We get a lot of travelers from around the country and the world. Travelers tell me they always want to stop and see what’s new when they are in town, so I ship alot of purchases out of state for them. I also believe it’s the friendliness of our working artists. We welcome each individual and offer to tell them more about the artists and their artwork. The working artists run the gallery and can help with their questions and needs. Being friendly is very important!!

We advertise through a variety of social media sites, such as Facebook, Instagram, etc.. I have one artist, Susie Tenzer who handles this. The artists send her what new work they have at the gallery, awards they win, opportunities they are offered, classes they teach and so forth. Susie also handles the website, www.maomgallery.com. You can check and pay for classes online, check on upcoming events, learn about the artists and even make purchases online.

Through Constant Contact we post upcoming exhibits, classes, etc. We also post a newsletter monthly to feature an artist and upcoming events at MIssouri Artist and happenings in the community. Mulitple ways to get the word out.

Lastly and most important, we are old school. I find it’s important to send out” Thank You Notes.”. When a customer makes a large purchase, we ask for their address. WE personally write a thank you to the purchaser to let them know how much we appreciate their business and value them as a customer.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

I think the most effective strategy for growing any business is word of mouth. I feel the customer has to have a enjoyable experience when they enter Missouri Artist On Main. If they found the galley inviting, friendly, quality of work and take the time to chat with the artist and leave with a good vib, that customer will tell a friend, and they will tell a friend. It just multiplies.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.maomgallery.com

Image Credits
Steve Stuller