Sharon Wolff has combined her business savvy with a keen eye for quality art to launch an award-winning gallery that’s celebrating its 18th anniversary this week.
The New Jersey native entered the gallery business with knowledge and strategies from her 30-year-plus career working for Fortune 500 corporations. She worked alongside “truly brilliant people,” gaining the skills that she could transfer to Hunter-Wolff Gallery in Old Colorado City.
Every business, no matter its size, needs fundamentals such as budget development, customer care, team-building and sales and marketing.
“I believe having solid business experience provided a real edge. The art business is challenging to begin with, so having those skills was, and still is, a major benefit,” Wolff said.
That experience enabled Hunter-Wolff Gallery to ride out the challenging times, such as the Waldo Canyon fire in 2012 and resulting floods the next year, and their effects on local tourism.
“What I learned from those experiences, as well as the world-impacting pandemic, is that a crisis can slow a business down, but it doesn’t have to completely halt operations. Having a solid budget plan to cover times of disasters kept Hunter-Wolff Gallery secure,” Wolff explained.
She also credits the positive attitude she applied while searching for solutions to survive economic slowdowns. She made changes to keep sales strong enough to keep the gallery open and didn’t get “bogged down with all the negativities.”
Wolff also has had to rise above the occasional art lover who learns about an artist in her gallery, but then goes directly to the artist to buy their work. As she points out, having a relationship with a gallery can allow artists to outsource the sales process so they can focus on their art.
“As a collector and buyer, would you go to a car manufacturer to buy a new car? Would you knock on a farmer’s door and ask to purchase directly from him? Buying art is the same,” Wolff said.
THERE IS NO ROOM at Hunter-Wolff Gallery for mediocrity. -Sharon Wolf
“Galleries are designed to help the artist market and promote their work, while offering clients personal services like free installation, education, consultation and other helpful services that an artist doesn’t have time for.”
At this time, the approximately 2,000-square-foot gallery showcases 43 dedicated, professional artists working in oils, watercolors, pastels, ceramics, glass, jewelry and metal. Wolff curates the displays so visitors can move comfortably through the gallery and each artist has the right amount of space for their work.
Wolff has worked with hundreds of artists over the 18 years, and 99 percent of them approached her.
“Reputation and word of mouth often sends artists to my door. Then what happens is the decision-making process to determine if they are a good fit or not. Because of my high standards and limited display space, it’s often disappointing news for many,” she said.
She’s excited about the seven new artists she’s added so far this year — a high number for her.
“There is no room at Hunter-Wolff Gallery for mediocrity and I can always promise quality work from our artists,” Wolff said.
She has words of wisdom to share with anyone thinking about starting their own gallery. As with any business, she recommends doing due diligence and creating a strong business plan.
Be prepared to work long hours — Wolff operated on only a few hours of sleep a night during the gallery’s early years.
“Clearly identify your business strengths and weaknesses and hire someone to pick up the slack where you need: i.e., marketing, customer care, merchandising, etc.,” Wolff said.
At present, Maria Battista, who shows her jewelry and sculpture at Hunter-Wolff, covers Mondays; Rosemary Stevens works Tuesdays-Fridays; and Wolff works weekends and spends 40 or more hours per week on the business behind the scenes.
She has no intention of moving the gallery out of Old Colorado City.
“OCC and Colorado Springs suit me because at this time in my life, I am done with the fiercely competitive struggle for success — however you measure it. I like the pace and people who live in and visit OCC and our region. People are kinder and gentler here.”
IF YOU GO
Hunter-Wolff Gallery is at 2510 W. Colorado Ave. Hours are 11 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturdays and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sundays. Information: hunterwolffgallery.com or 719- 520-9494.
This is the 10th October that the Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region has spearheaded the Arts Month program, which advocates for visual and performing arts in our communities.
The month is broken into themed weeks:
Oct. 1-7 — Visual and culinary arts;
Oct. 8-14 — Theater and film;
Oct. 15-21 — Poetry, prose and comedy; and
Oct. 22-28 — Music and dance. Information: artsoctober.com.
