Business of the Week: Artisans in the Square

The depth of talent that exists on the South Shore has always spoiled lovers of art. The natural beauty of the area, coupled with an enthusiastic appreciation of art in all of it’s forms is one of the reasons why the artistic community has been successful in bringing their work to a larger audience.

Hingham residents have played a large part in promoting local artists with the business community only too happy to facilitate this with a series of events throughout the year.

Hingham Square is home to a variety of individuals involved in the creative process but for the artists that compromise Artisans in the Square, they have found that their strength lies in co-operation and community.

With a roster of 13 artists, the store on South Street has a wealth of different mediums on display and this week, Patch sat down with Sandi Smith (Photographs by Sandi) to talk about how this working cooperative is bringing the South Shore to life through art.

DB: For the uninitiated, what is an artists “working cooperative”?

SS: It’s a business where we all share in the space, the work commitments and the responsibilities of running the shop. We all have a vested interest in it; we support it by doing craft shows and other places that can steer customers towards this shop. There are 13 of us involved and we go outside the shop to bring in customers to come under one roof.

DB: You bring artists together for their and Hingham’s mutual benefit…

It certainly does. They really enjoy us; they’ve received us so well here. They want to come down and find something made locally by one of us. Everything is handmade here, nothing is store bought and they like that.

DB: When did Artisans in the Square open?

March 2010. Two years of going strong and every single month it just gets better than last year. It’s wonderful!

DB: Hingham has a reputation for supporting the arts community on the South Shore. Do you agree?

Yes. , the and all help us out. Every event, people come down…, people come in and poke around in the shop!

DB: Where are the artists from? Are they from Hingham?

Only one is from Hingham, everybody else is from surrounding towns. Some are even from the Cape!

DB: Why did you decide to set up Artisans in the Square in Hingham? 

I’ve been part of stores in Hingham for years (Bookport, The Gifted Hand, Gatherings) so I know the feel of Hingham Square. I also work at a church down the street, the They always used to talk about how they had to shop in the Square, how they liked to support the local businesses downtown. They used to run into Bookport to get a book instead of, say, Barnes & Noble. Now those sorts of stores are gone but they come to support us here. I also have an art show at the Church so we go back and forth with our artists.

DB: What is so special about Hingham?

The people and the community. It’s charming; people come here from all over the place. It’s got so much history, people visit all the churches and they love it. I hear so many people saying that Hingham is the best place.

DB: Where do your customers come from?

As I say, they come from all over the place. They really do, it’s not just people from Hingham. We have a guest book that was signed by someone from China! They had come to the area looking for a gift to take home and everything was made in China (laughs). But they came in here and they bought something made by an American artist that they met standing behind the desk.

DB: Do the artists that are part of the cooperative change much?

We’ve added and subtracted. I’ve been part of a cooperative on the Cape for 20 years so I know that people come and go. Some don’t make a lot of money, some make too much and they open their own space. People have to care for children or elderly parents…so it evolves. We try and replace the crafts that we lack with new ones but if we don’t have something, we sell what we have. We don’t take anything on consignment; you have to be part of the working cooperative and stay true to that.

DB:  Ken Lindgren (Walk Softly Wood Art) called you “the driving force” behind AITS. Is that fair? 

I used to work next door at the Coop and I helped them out. I had a booth with my photos and I offered to help them when they needed someone to watch their shop. I used to see all the people coming into the Square to go there and I was driving to my shop on the Cape when I thought ‘there’s a store next to The Coop, why don’t I try and get a cooperative together in Hingham rather than go to the Cape every week?’ I put it out to my artist friends and, sure enough, some of them bit. We threw our money together and opened the doors. It just worked, it all came together. I live in the store, I love it…I vacuum here and I don’t do that in my own house.

DB:  So the purpose of the store is for local artists to sell their work rather than just display it?

Exactly. We all have businesses, we all have a following and we have all perfected our craft. We still learn new things but we make things. We have a combined business plan to get people through the door.

DB:  Is there anything new about Artisans in the Square that Hingham residents should know?

We try and keep things fresh. It’s new everyday because we’re all working a few times a month so when we come in we are bringing in new items, so there is always a new bunch of things in the store. I try and change things around every day...I can’t keep still! 

DB: What are the most popular pieces of art?

It depends. Some months it’s jewelry, other times it’s paintings. It’s just weird how it is…maybe people get together and say ‘lets buy pottery this month’. It’s a little bit of everything, this month the decoys (Hingham Harbor Decoy) are flying out of the shop!

We do all kinds of custom work here. If someone loves the harbor and wants a specific shot, then we can paint it. Everyone here does custom work, no matter what it is, (smiles), we aim to please.

DB:  What is the unique selling point of the store?

We’ll figure it out, if we can’t do it then we know someone who can. We want to help artisans and artists; we are the base for a larger art community. We do so many art shows that people come here to see one thing and leave with another. We feel that we’re adding a lot to the Square by bringing our artists and customer base into the area.

DB: Artisans in the Square currently consists of 13 artists. Is that a lucky number? 

It’s not unlucky. We are doing fine, we’re actually looking to add more. I’d like to have 20 as long as they are different mediums. We don’t need another painter; perhaps we could get some stained glass or some fabric. It is not for everybody, being part of a cooperative, but it really does work. You invest a little time, some money and in return you get a beautiful store front in Hingham…for a little time and money.