Art Spirit reflected the downtown spirit

The announcement that Art Spirit Gallery is closing caught many off-guard. 

Afterall, this was a longtime, well-respected, well-established business that had a loyal following. For more than two decades, it has been a downtown anchor. The general thought seemed to be it had to be financially secure, as downtown Coeur d'Alene is a thriving area and anyone who owns a downtown shop must have plenty of money.

Not so.

There is much more to the story, as reported by Press Reporter Devin Weeks in Tuesday's Press.

The Art Spirit Gallery on Sherman Avenue, like many small businesses, faced challenges that reached a point where owner Blair Williams could no longer commit to keeping it open. Finances, declining sales, the COVID-19 pandemic, broken pipes, flooding, loans, attempts to convert to a nonprofit, all took a mental, physical, emotional and financial toll. As well, there were family factors to consider.

It added up to too much.

First, we offer our gratitude to Blair for persevering all these years to provide an art gallery that attracted customers from across the nation. Art Spirit will be missed. Anyone who stopped in was struck by its professional and friendly atmosphere. It represented the arts well.

Second, this situation highlights the importance of local people supporting local business. You know the adage, shop local. It matters. It's true. This is not said enough.

Small business owners put in long, hard hours. While they no doubt love what they do, there can also be no doubt it is demanding work. We often have no idea what sacrifices downtown business owners make to succeed. Yes, Coeur d'Alene attracts scores of visitors and come summer, downtown is alive and well. Same for the holidays. Lots of people coming to town and doing their Christmas shopping.

But for much of the year, these shops rely on locals to survive the slower shoulder seasons. They count on those who live, work and play here. If you can, we encourage you to visit local shops that continue to face competition from larger retailers and online vendors. Your support might just make the difference to lift their spirits and help them keep the doors open.

Art Spirit Gallery was and still is a business that reflects well on Coeur d'Alene. That it is soon to close is a loss to this community and its residents, whether you shopped there or not. We hate to lose shops like this, one that was never about the bottom line, but about supporting artists and making downtown Coeur d'Alene not only a great place to do business, but a great place to live.

May the spirit of Art Spirit Gallery live on.