The Art of a Mountain Town
by Anya Harris
An unexpected phone call three years ago changed Alan Kinney’s life. “Alan – we’re selling our building,” his boss Gary Jones announced. “We’re either going to close the shop or you’re going to have to buy it.”
Kinney, vacationing poolside in Denver, answered with a bewildered, “Okay…”
With that he agreed to buy Lloyd’s Art Center in Fort Collins, Colorado. Jones, the son of Lloyd’s founder, had hired Kinney eight years earlier and trained him to run the day-to-day operations of the frame shop.
As if that weren’t enough to rock his world, Kinney received two more startling announcements later that same day: the offer he made on a house was accepted, and his wife was expecting their first child.
At Lloyd’s Art Center in Colorado, a group of professional painters gets together in the store’s meeting room every Wednesday night for a portrait workshop. They all chip in to pay the modest rent and hire a model.
Bad timing?
He had worked in the film industry as an art director, a job that was either feast or famine, and was looking for part-time work when he walked into Lloyd’s in 2000. He said to Jones, “Hey, I’d love to work for you.”
Kinney had worked at a Dick Blick all through high school, and had assisted his carpenter father growing up. Jones, a framer with 35 years of experience, liked the skill set and hired him.
“Buying the store was a no-brainer,” Kinney told us recently. “It was a great opportunity, and they helped me finance it because I had essentially no capital.”
It was, however, a scary time to start out. “Lots of people ask me what on Earth I was thinking, buying a business in 2008 when markets were collapsing and lenders were foreclosing homes left and right. The way I see it, if I could make it then, I am going to make it as long as I need to. Not to mention that this shop has seen hard times before. It’s something of a landmark in northern Colorado. I figured it would take a real numbskull to run this thing into the ground.”
The art center marked 60 years in business in 2011 and is the oldest frame shop in the state.
“It was pretty challenging,” he added. “We really had to pinch pennies and tighten our belts. I feel like we’re starting to pull out of it now, and things are getting better. It was a boost to our confidence to have survived that nasty and volatile economic stretch.”
For six decades, product knowledge and excellent service have kept generations of customers coming back.
Take a tour and meet the family
Lloyd’s Art Center encompasses about 5,000 square feet on two levels in an historic building downtown. Upon entering the front door and looking to the right, visitors will see art gallery space in a room of about 500 square feet with warm brick walls. Moveable partitions allow the gallery to be configured for exhibits that change about eight times each year.
To the left of the entrance is the framing counter and corner sample display. Straight ahead is retail space. That’s where you’ll find Tonia Bouska, the public face of Lloyd’s. She greets people as they come in, answers the phone, does outreach with artists, and handles stocking and ordering of the art materials. She’s worked at Lloyd’s awhile.
“One of my conditions for buying the shop was that Tonia had to come with it,” recalled Kinney. “She has a contagious laugh, and she’s a great person to have here. She is kind enough to let me be the boss, but we’re very much like a family in the shop. There’s no hierarchy to speak of.”
Beyond the retail space is a break room/meeting space that’s about 16 by 24 feet, and beyond that, a large workroom where the framing is done. Any dusty, dirty stuff happens in the basement, where saws and woodworking tools are kept.
Framing is about 70 percent of Lloyd’s business in raw dollar terms, so Kinney devotes a lot of his time to it. An assistant, Chris, helps out and keeps things going smoothly day-to-day, along with a part-time staffer, Yann. The store also employs an accountant and office manager, Diana.
“At heart I’m an artist, not a businessman,” said Kinney. “I know enough to hire people to do the things I don’t know how to do, or don’t know how to do very well.”
Lots of hang-ups
Lloyd’s customer base is made up primarily of local artists, professionals, serious hobbyists and students – more than 30,000 at nearby Colorado State University. Lloyd’s is the only art store in the area that offers them a 10-percent discount.
The staff maintains close contact with art instructors and professors to find out in advance of each semester about the projects they are planning for their students. “That way we can supply them with the mountains of clay they need for a pottery class, large quantities of painting and drawing supplies, and tons of foam core for the landscape architecture students,” explained Kinney.
Exclusive clients like the University Art Museum keep Lloyd’s framers working steadily. “They handle some pretty high-end work, and we’re the only shop they trust. Last year we did an entire Warhol exhibit for them,” Kinney said. “We also work with the Center for Fine Art Photography, an international gallery about two blocks from the store. There is a show there about once a month.”
Other frame shops also bring work to Lloyd’s when the projects are too large or challenging for them to accomplish.
“As much as we try to get framing done and make a dollar, we’re also educating people so they know they’re getting the best value for their framing money. I feel strongly about that. We point out that by using Lloyd’s, they spend their money locally and receive superior design consultation for a superior finished product,” Kinney noted, adding, “It’s not worth it to go someplace else to save a few dollars.”
In addition to custom framing, Lloyd’s uses its pile of leftover materials to fabricate unique readymade frames to sell in the store. They attract shoppers who love to browse the ever-changing selection.
In-store restoration is another unique customer service Lloyd’s offers, along with delivery and installation. “Usually, if a customer who’s up there in age has something large framed by us, I am happy to bring it to his house and put it up on the wall at no extra charge. Aside from the fact that I don’t want them to get it home and bang it up, it’s simply a nice gesture and good customer service,” explained Kinney.
Customers are charged for out-of-the-ordinary installations. Kinney recently hung 240 small, framed pictures in two hallways in a customer’s home, a job requiring significant man-hours. Another job involved hanging a large piece – 10 feet wide by 5 feet tall, weighing more than 200 pounds – 11 feet off the ground.
Owner Alan Kinney plans to bring more modern and abstract art into the store’s gallery to appeal to a younger demographic.
A place to create and present art
At the end of the day, Lloyd’s is more than an art supply or frame shop, it is an art center, where creative folks feel welcome learning and practicing. For instance, a group of eight to 12 local professional painters gets together in the store’s back meeting room every Wednesday night for a portrait workshop. They all chip in to pay the modest rent and hire a model. Supplies, of course, are readily available.
In February, Kinney is leasing the gallery space to an instructor. “We’ll throw down canvas drop cloths and let people paint up there. It’s going to be a music-and-wine kind of thing. We’ll see how it goes,” he said.
The gallery itself is something of a pet project for Kinney, who has been actively working to bring in new types of art to display there. “The art we’ve shown in the past was very traditional – elk, landscapes and flowers,” he explained. “I tend to steer away from that today simply because it’s not what I’m personally into. Fort Collins is a difficult town for artists, because it’s tough to sell art here. It’s one reason I have brought in more modern shows and some abstract art that’s different from what’s offered at the other galleries in town. I think it appeals to a slightly younger demographic.”
He retains control of the exhibit space, and will not just rent it out. “I have become picky about what we’re going to show because I see it as a direct reflection of our business,” he noted.
Kinney coordinates the timing of shows with the local First Friday art walk effort, and obtained a gallery alcohol permit so that he can serve refreshments to entice browsers to come in. Artists get a flat 50 percent commission.
Word-of-mouth is critical, especially to the new demographic Lloyd’s is attracting: Gen-Xers who can afford art and framing. “People in that age range generally go the online route. For that reason, I really try to keep our website looking tight and make sure people can find us online.
“Eleven years ago, most of our customers were Baby Boomers,” he added. “I think a lot of their walls have filled up since then.”
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