An entrepreneur's recent expanded business plan is helping to expose the local arts scene and bring Squamish's talent to the public realm.
Interior designer Elisa Langenstam wanted more than the average storefront when she opened Stock Home, her new downtown office-shop-gallery-caf茅.
The business started solely as a staging and redesign service venue but Langenstam quickly realized having an artistic space was more in line with the community's interests.
"I find the gallery aspect tends to draw people in," she said. "It's not just about what you're going to buy, it's about enjoying the artistic experience."
The artwork changes every month or two thanks to numerous local artists looking for a venue.
Her most recent addition, unveiled during the three-month anniversary party Oct. 29, is "Drawing the Bears out of the Forest" by Elizabeth Harris Nichols.
It's an interpretive exhibition with the ursine theme using a series of charcoal and ink drawings, sculptures and copper tree sculptures.
Another featured local jewelry artisan is Effie Baker, who was a river rafting guide for 20 years before honing her jewelry craft. She works mainly with silver, rare stones and pebbles from the riverbeds she used to manoeuvre.
"I like art with a story behind it," said Langenstam. "People are always interested to find out who the artists are and what they're all about."
Local stain glass artist Judy McQuinn has displayed her artwork from her home for the past 25 years and said she's delighted to have a downtown venue giving her work more exposure.
"I started showing my stuff in October," she said. "It really is exciting because there's not a lot of venues for artists to display their work."
She just recently branched into jewelry making as well and is pleased to see it's actually selling and catching people's attention.
"It's really helped more people become familiar with my work," she said. "I think it's a great little venue and it also mixes all types of artwork."
