By Gary Malicki
It was a mere few weeks ago when the view from my porch was seen through a watery lens as we were deluged by hard rain for several consecutive days. It made me think of what to do in our lovely village on dismal days like these. I thought about the shop I noticed in the plaza that houses Katy’s, Subway and Dom’s on Washington Street and decided to pay ‘Artventures’ a visit to see what it was all about and glad I did.
I made an appointment to meet with proprietor, Connie Vroman and discovered that her amazing store is like an art mecca for anyone who may want to dabble in many artistic directions. Glass fusing, mosaics, T-shirt painting, traditional canvas and more is offered. She caters to individuals and groups for events such as birthdays, showers and even bachelorette parties, all by appointment.
Connie said her interest in creating the business began as a hobby years ago when she lived in Arcade patronizing a similar type of shop. She humorously says she’s retired but also addicted to running the business because she has so much fun with it.
I asked her about “wheel throwing” and found out it’s the term that describes pottery making as the store is equipped with several wheels and a kiln. I was intrigued and thought about that romantic scene in the movie ‘Ghost’ with Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore at the pottery wheel. I had to ask if anyone mentions the movie and Connie responded enthusiastically, “Yes, in fact couples sometimes come in to replicate the scene”. She continued, “We turn down the lights and even play the music featured in the film”. The song, of course, is Unchained Melody by the Righteous Brothers. It’s all in fun as she even has a poster-sized photo of the two stars performing the memorable sequence. C’mon…how neat is that?
Then there are the literally hundreds, if not thousands, of ceramics just sitting on several shelves lining both sides of the room just waiting for budding artists to add their touch. The ceramics range from the Star Wars logo to characters from the Marvel Universe and just about everything else you can think of.
She proudly boasts that the store celebrated five years in business this past Mother’s Day which she knows a lot about being a grandmother to five children. Children’s birthday parties are celebrated in a very unique way. The birthday child can leave a paint impression of their hand on their artwork and guests can leave their fingerprints as a remembrance of the event.
I went on to ask her what one of the most popular things that people want to do and she said, “Glass fusing is requested often”, and she happily displayed an example of that particular form of art.
She told me that word-of-mouth advertising keeps her going and just sitting in the middle of this multi-art menagerie makes me understand that completely. I’m so glad to have had the opportunity to meet with her and witness the gleam in her eyes as she talks about the business. She was also happy to let me know that there’s also an Artventures shop in Oakville, Ontario being run by her future daughter-in-law.
You can book an appointment for you or your party at 716-244-2074 or you can Google ‘Artventures Ellicottville’ and book it online.
It doesn’t necessarily have to be a rainy day to enjoy this amazing place at 38 Washington Street in the heart of the village.