Staff Writer
One chapter of Leigh Fogle’s life will come to a close today when the doors of her St. Nicholas-based retail art gallery shut to the general public a final time.
It’s just a part of Fogle Fine Art & Consulting, a business Fogle has grown the last 16 years to include art consultancy with businesses, the sale of individual art and accessories and custom framing. But it’s a part that had to be put aside for the sake of growth.
“I’m excited, but sad,” said Fogle of the gallery’s closing. “It’s been a real asset for the community.”
Fogle has lived in Nashville the past year, having moved there to support her husband Bryan in his position as a staff writer for a music publishing company. But she continued to maintain the walk-in gallery as part of her Jacksonville presence. The art consultancy side of her business — especially within the health care industry — has continued to thrive while the sheer cost of overhead, coupled with reduced spending patterns, has made maintaining the gallery a budgetary burden.
The decision to step away from the retail aspect of her business and focus more on the growing art consultancy wasn’t an easy one, but when Fogle made the decision she realized it was the correct one.
“Honestly, I was relieved,” she said. “People who have supported me for so long even thought it was the right thing to do to grow.”
For the most part, she’ll remain in Nashville and pursue a string of recent opportunities within health care consultancy in the Southeast with the goal of becoming one of the national service providers in the field.
In addition to the basic art layout side, her role has been expanded to include hospital signage, room layout and items such as healing gardens. They’re all duties with which Fogle has taken both a dedicated personal and professional interest.
“Art in health care is important to me,” she said. “I’m extremely passionate about it and people realize it.”
While her gallery’s doors are closing, there won’t be a fire sale. Just because the doors will be shut doesn’t lessen the value of the art, she said, which would be a disservice to the artists. Some pieces will be shipped to other offices or returned to the artists themselves, but most of it will remain and be available to view by appointment.
As for the company itself, it will still be in Jacksonville, even if she isn’t all the time. The consultancy side will still be present along with the strong relationships she’s grown over time.
“I’m not leaving Jacksonville,” she said. “My heart is here ... it’s just a needed change that will help me grow even more.”
356-2466