by Caroline Gabsewics
Staff Writer
One offers her business expertise, another offers creativity and the third offers her handiwork. Even though the three women all offer something different, they all have the same vision.
3 Eclectic Chicks, an art boutique in San Marco that opened in mid-October, brings together three different personalities and backgrounds. Joyce Breckenridge’s background is in business — she manages the store. Mona Springett has owned shops like this in the past, but she’s also an artist herself and does a lot of her work with stained glass, mosaics, sewing and wood work. Marcia Moore is very handy and does a lot of projects for the store that are more labor intensive. She is also a seamstress.
“We all have something to add,” said Breckenridge. “Our energy, when you put all three of us together is scary.”
The store is on Hendricks Avenue between LaSalle Street and Landon Avenue. The art boutique is not only full of their own art, but there is plenty from other local artists that are showcasing their art at 3 Eclectic Chicks. And the art that is on display and for sale is not just paintings and photographs. There is jewelry, ceramics, glassware, purses, gift cards, gift bags, lotions, candles — and that’s only the beginning.
“I have been wanting to do this for many years,” said Breckenridge. “I have known so many people with all of this talent and there was no way for them to get their name out there.”
Breckenridge knew she couldn’t open a boutique like this herself and shared her idea with Moore, Breckenridge’s nail technician and a friend for 10 years.
“She (Moore) thought it was a great idea, but we didn’t think we had what it took to get a store like this off the ground,” she said. “Marcia had met Mona and she shared the idea with her.
“The three of us met at European Street in April, sat there for four hours and we came up with a business plan.”
The girls went to every arts and crafts show they could possibly find in the area from April through October. Their main goal was to meet artists, talk to them about the store and collect their business cards.
“When we got to the point where we were ready to bring their work into the store, we took out all of the business cards and started calling them,” said Breckenridge. “And those artists started calling their friends. The art community is very close knit and when they know something good is happening, they will be a part of it.”
Since they opened, they have brought in 33 artists. Only two of them are from out of this area, but they live in Florida.
“We had one new artist in yesterday,” said Breckenridge. “In the last seven days we have had six new artists.
“We just keep growing.”
Some of the local artists include: Niris, Joe Sanders, Patrick Maxcy, Joyce Reeves, Hookey Hamilton, Beth Sullivan, Kentee Pasek, Heather Ferman, Glenda Ramsey and Jocelyn Winslow.
The shop has several different rooms, and they all have a specific purpose. One room, which is not ready yet, will be a cafe offering coffee, tea and desserts. They are hoping to open the cafe and an outdoor courtyard in January. The rest of the room themes include a black and white room, the eclectic room, the boudoir room, emerging artists room and their front room. There is even a bathroom with the 3 Eclectic Chicks’ personalized soaps, body spray, lotions and sugar scrubs for customers to try. The girls converted a small bathroom into a walkway that joins two rooms and the only part of the bathroom left is the sink.
In the back of the store is the arts and crafts room. Two large tables — that Moore constructed from one table — will be used for the craft classes that will begin later this month. This area also houses the girl’s sewing machines.
“We are just having so much fun. We were so excited when we found this building because we knew it would be perfect,” said Breckenridge.
Besides selling art, they also offer custom home decor sewing, newsletter layout, editing and proofing and art classes. Art classes begin Nov. 17 and will run every Saturday for six weeks from 10 a.m.-noon. The classes will focus on drawing, color theory and pastels. For more information call the 3 Eclectic Chicks at 306-0923.