Lucas: Running a Beaufort art gallery -- 7 questions with Mary Thibault

Ever wonder what goes in to running an art gallery?

To find out, we talked with Mary Thibault, co-owner of the Thibault Gallery on Bay Street in Beaufort.

Thibault opened the gallery along with her husband, Eric, two years ago with just six artists.

Today, the couple has 15 artists and working studio space as well.

When did you and Eric decide to open the gallery and what went into that decision?

I'm a self-taught artist so when I started painting I just always had the dream that I would someday have my own gallery.

When Eric and I got married he was my major supporter and encourager and the biggest fan of my work. It just blossomed with him. Art comes with feeling and when you have a lot of love in your heart, it just makes things easier.

So I was doing art shows all over the Southeast at the time and was given the opportunity to do the T-shirts for the (Beaufort) Water Festival in 2009, 2013 and 2015.When we would talk about how we would run our own gallery, we knew how difficult it was to get your work out there and show your work in a prestigious place so part of opening this gallery was we wanted to give that opportunity to other artists as well.

You've been in business for two years. This seems long enough to have figured out perhaps what works and what doesn't and yet short enough to still remember how you got started.

What did you learn in terms of what worked and what did not?

I will tell you it's trial and error. You learn every day from the artists and customers you work with -- whether it's a gallery or an ice cream shop.

You have to be open minded and you have to be open to those you are working with.

We've had some amazing people who have come through our gallery.

...For example, one man named Francoise -- he is a French artist whose artwork sold for $100,000 a piece.

I first spotted he and his wife going through the gallery critiquing this and that. So I said, 'Let us give you a cup of coffee and please critique our place. What do you think we need to do better?'

... But I think doing things like that help you to do better.

(Also), failure is a wonderful thing because you learn from failure. ... There has to be a little bit of a positive in that or that you can learn from what you're doing.

The biggest thing (that worked) is sticking to it. We had a mindset of what we wanted in our gallery from the beginning.

If you came to our gallery, you would see that what sets us apart from other galleries is that we are very open. It's very welcoming.

People are intimidated by the words 'Art Gallery.' ...but we do our best to make sure we welcome our customers, that we have a nice smile on our face and make them feel comfortable here and it breaks the ice. And we find that we have a lot of repeat customers because of that.

I'm sure everyone thinks of running a gallery as a glamorous business to be in, but it seems like it can also be a lot of work. Can you talk a bit about that?

There are the day-to-day aspects of it, certainly. But what it comes down to is when you love what you do, it doesn't feel like work.

We are here all day long from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and of course when we go home we're talking about the business and I paint when I go home.

It's fun and we have a good time. If you're not enjoying what you do, don't do it.

We have seven children. ...We're always telling them to find a career you absolutely love. You'll soar and become more successful.

Take us through the day to day, the nuts and bolts if you will.

You may have that glamorous title of being the owner of a gallery, but there are still things like toilets to scrub and sidewalks to sweep.

There's also greeting the customers and taking care of them, making sure all the artwork is straight, making sure that each painting has a label on it and that the walls are filled.

If an artist brings in a new piece of work, you need to make sure that it fits their space. We (also) try to market together. And we have a featured artist for the month. We change out our window every month.

And I paint here as well.

Also, it's all about presentation.... We want to wow them from the minute they walk into the door.

How are you structured? The artists rent space?

When we first started, they paid rent but we didn't take a commission. We rent space for $300 a month. So if you're looking at it from an artist's perspective, that's $10 a day to show your work in a prestigious gallery in a very nice location that is Beaufort.

(After awhile) we knew that our business was growing and I needed Eric here with me full-time. So we started taking a commission of 15 percent ... about a year-and-a half into it and that was another thing. We decided we needed to look at our business plan again.

What is it about Beaufort's arts community, do you think, that attracts not only visitors but businesses like yours and artists as well?

We live in the most beautiful small town. Oh my word, Bay Street in the morning, with the live oaks and the moss and the sun coming up over the river. I think, 'Look at this beautiful place where I live.'

It attracts artists from all over -- whether you are an abstract artist or a surrealist or (do) realism. You can't wait to get that onto a canvas. That's why I love plein air painting. I love working in the natural light.

That's one thing I'd love to see for Beaufort is a plein air festival. For people to be painting at once, all around town.

We'd include restaurants, businesses, the B&Bs. And then it could end at the same time every day and they would get judged and (the art) would be for sale. I just think it would be a wonderful, wonderful thing.

What is the most enjoyable aspect of owning a gallery?

One of the biggest eye-opening things for Eric and me is we had no idea how many people come from all over the world to our little small town. We just had no idea.

...I have to say the diversity of people we have had come through the gallery -- from Pakistan to Australia -- it's just been amazing.

Meeting the people we have met ... and hearing from them what a wonderful and friendly town we have here in Beaufort has just been amazing. But it doesn't surprise me because we grew up here but it's good to hear that.

Follow reporter Mindy Lucas on Twitter at twitter.com/MindyatIPBG.

Related content:

• Lucas: Unlikely pairing makes for a dynamic artistic duo, Jan. 16, 2016
• Mindy's Outtakes: Tickets available for Beaufort International Film Festival; volunteers needed, Jan. 15, 2016

This story was originally published January 22, 2016 at 5:47 PM with the headline "Lucas: Running a Beaufort art gallery -- 7 questions with Mary Thibault."