"After 30 years in business, Letha and Michael Drury, owners of The Gallery at 600 South Broadway, decided it was time for a change - of stationery, at least.
The couple has changed the name of their custom framing business, which will celebrate its 30th anniversary in February, to South Hill Gallery and adopted a dynamic new logo for the occasion.
But while the company's name is changing, and its neighborhood near UK is undergoing an infill transformation of its own with new loft residential and retail development, the Drurys' gallery has remained steady over the years. New techniques and materials have been added, but the art of framing has remained the same. On the art gallery side, the biggest change, according to Mike Drury, is that "people who bought limited edition prints on paper are now buying original works of art."
South Hill Gallery specializes in art by contemporary artists in a variety of media. Local artists whose works are featured include Elizabeth Buckley, Enrique Gonzalez, Dave Huntsman, Aoibheal Mize, and Ike Moody.
Other artists whose works are popular include Uri Tremler, Charles Nivens, Matt Lively, Erica Nordean, and Claude Fauchere. Nordean, who created the official 2006 Kentucky Derby and Oaks poster, will visit South Hill Gallery in May.
The shop's corner windows are a rotating display of art. A display stays in the windows facing Broadway for two weeks, then two weeks overlooking Bolivar, then moves inside, assuming the artworks haven't already sold. Mike Drury said, "The windows really belong to the local artists."
His wife Letha said that the window art "literally pulls people out of traffic, and that's exciting." Drivers waiting on stoplights to turn have glanced into the windows, parked their cars, and come into the store to buy what they saw across the street.
The Drurys enjoy working with artists, but they agreed that deciding which pieces of art to carry is the most difficult part of owning a gallery. "Art is diverse, and we can't carry everything," Letha Drury explained.
The framing part "has sustained The Gallery for thirty years," Mike Drury said. He noted, "We have a good success rate of selling framing after an art purchase." A framing customer can choose from over 3,000 metal and wood mouldings, and selecting the color, material, and style of matting can take much more time. Customers can also choose from various types of glass to protect their art from light and humidity.
"The key to a good framing job is not to distract from the art," Mike Drury explained. He uses conservation-quality materials and knows that "people are more discerning now about the way art's protected within the frame."
Mike Drury started doing framing while he was in high school in Versailles. People who were customers then still are. He is a (nationally) certified picture framer, which means he has skill in custom framing and knowledge of conservation materials.
South Hill Gallery's services include shadowboxes and object framing, protective Mylar encapsulation for documents, canvas stretching and transfer, dry mounting, shrink wrapping, and photo repair and enlarging for framing.
The best part of framing art and treasures are customers' stories, according to the Drurys. Letha Drury said, "We preserve the art so they're proud to display it and can relive the memories."
One customer's grandfather posted in his grocery store two lists of how to treat customers. The grandson saved the two lists and the Drurys framed them for him, to hand down to his children. Another customer brought in newspaper clippings about the drive-in his family had owned, plus two on-car speakers. They'll be framed in a display box.
A man whose father owned a baseball team saved the child's team uniform he had worn. Mike Drury secured a photo of him and the uniform in a protective display box. The man gave this piece of family history to his son for Christmas.
The future looks bright for South Hill Gallery. Later this year Letha Drury will retire from UK and work in the shop full-time. Mike Drury said, "I can't wait until Letha's full time," for then he will be able to take art to prospective buyers.
The conversion of former tobacco warehouses and other new developments promise new customers nearby, and one such project will be diagonally across Broadway. Mike Drury's dream is to open an art gallery there. Then he and his wife could turn their 1,000-square-foot shop into work and storage space. It would be a big change, but after 30 years, the Drurys are ready for it.
South Hill Gallery, 600 South Broadway at the corner of Bolivar Street, is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m.- 6 p.m., and Saturday from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. The Web site is www.southhillgallery.com.
Meet Mike Drury
Store pets: Bonnie and Clyde,
sibling Boston Bull Terriers
Hobby: playing electric bass in Contemporary Worship Band at Midway Baptist Church
(His wife Letha runs sound for the band.)
Favorite charitable cause: the church,
and Lexington Art League
What's worth splurging on:
high-quality food to cook at home
Favorite getaway:
a weekend at the lake with Letha.
Central Kentucky's best-kept secret: the back roads of Woodford County, especially in fall
Proudest career moment: obtaining Certified Picture Framer rating
First car: 1967 Chevrolet pickup
First job: painting creosote on a horse farm's fences, for $1 an hour. Mom made me quit because I ruined a pair of jeans and T-shirt every day, and they cost more than the $8 I made.
Childhood ambition: professional bass fisherman
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