Today we’d like to introduce you to Sam Williams.
Hi Sam, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I graduated in 2018 from SCAD and knew I wanted to open a gallery in Savannah. I went out to every art event I could find and started making connections as well as meeting with investors and pitching my idea. After 6 months of searching and getting no interest, I had given up my search and started applying to gallery jobs in the area.
Then all of a sudden 5 months later, I receive a call from Anthony Koncul with JAK Homes saying he loved my idea and wanted in.
Anthony was someone, I had only met by chance, and ended up chatting with him very briefly I told him how I just graduated and had these big plans for a gallery, but at the time, I didn’t realize I had just pitched to him. I was also hoping to have a print shop and frame shop to be an all-in-house gallery. But Savannah quickly told me what it needed once we purchased the property.
Anthony found two other investors then purchases a property on the corner of Abercorn and 36th we closed on April 1st 0f 2019 and he left the property in my hands to make my concept a reality. He put me in charge, first, he sent me a demo team, then a lumber team, electricians, painters, and so on! We were somehow able to flip the home to a gallery in about a month and a half and open by May 18th of 2019.
Anthony and I now are currently working on opening two more locations and hopefully more in the future. One space is located just across the street from Cedar House Gallery and 4 doors downs at 111 E 36th Street and will be known as Gallery 1Eleven our other space is located on Montgomery Street and consists of multiple buildings so the whole area will be known as Savannah SOC Station due the primary building being an old SOC gas station.
Currently at this property is Milk Maid Maid Cafe, RO3 Gallery, Hostess City Hot Glass glass blowing studio with a plan to grow for the arts as well as local businesses such as restaurants and more! We are still filling a few spaces and purchasing more in the near future so looking for tenants like restaurants or local shops in need of space!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I believe Savannah needed an art community like this but of course, we had our struggles with the pandemic and had to close our gallery to the public for 6 months canceling 15 shows.
We were very lucky that our art studio spaces kept us going, we found that many people wanted out of their homes so they came here and rented our studios to create during the pandemic and we used the gallery rooms for living painting sessions.
Now, we have recovered and many of our canceled shows have been rescheduled as well as we have had such an influx of local artists and students in need of having a show that we’re unable to show during the pandemic.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Many people don’t realize I am an artist as well and I do have my own studio here on the grounds of Cedar House Gallery, but I think many people do not realize it is my studio space as well because it also doubles as the Gallery office.
I graduated from SCAD with a photography degree and even though I have fallen on the back burner to my businesses I do still showcase my work in my space, even though I don’t find time to photograph as much I do still print in my studio.
I am an alternative print processor meaning I print my photos on wood, metal, glass, and odd surfaces.
We love surprises, fun facts, and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
Oddly my name, my full name is Samantha Nicole Williams but for my artist name I go by Sam Cole taking the beginning half of my first name and the ending of my middle name this is something that has been done in my family on my mom side such as my grandmother’s name Madelynn who took the ending name Lynn and passed it down as a middle name to my mother.
So quite often in my studio space when people are reading the labels on the wall associated with the artwork they come up to me and ask who Sam Cole is even when they realize they’re speaking with Sam Williams.
The most common occurrence is people also believe Sam Cole is a very masculine name and associate it with being male so when people are reading my labels I overhear people discussing my artwork and referring to me as he or him, but I am in fact female and identify with her.
It is always funny to me and it is a fun surprise to the viewer when they learn I am a girl!
This name situation could also get really confusing in the near future because I am newly engaged and do plan on changing my last name from Williams to Badon, possibly to avoid. this confusion and clear things up I will start going just by Sam Cole.
Pricing:
- please just add that all of the work in the gallery and studios is for sale.
- Weekly Gallery rentals go according to how much space you rent so can range from $200 to $2000 the average. rental for the main space is $1000.
- monthly studio rental goes by the size of space range is $200 to $1000 average is $500.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: CedarHouseGallerySav.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cedarhousegallerysav/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CedarHouseGallery
Image Credits
Sam Cole
