From auto parts to art - Old Hapco space to house new Amherst gallery

By Kristina Tedeschi

Published on August 18, 2006

WHEN Nora Maroulis and her husband Tony threw a party for 60 at their Pelham home in February to help friend and artist Derek Noble show his work, they knew they were on to something.

It was fun, Maroulis said. 'Derek sold three or four pieces. Everyone was taken with the concept and wanted to know when the next one was.'

Jim Lumley, also an artist and the realtor and friend of the couple, attended the party and loved the idea. 'We should open a gallery,' he said.

In April, Lumley approached the Maroulis' about going in together on the purchase of space in Amherst for a gallery. The three looked first at the Fenton's Athletic Supplies space at 377 Main St., but were discouraged by the amount of renovations needed. They looked next at the adjacent Hapco Auto Parts space, located at 383 Main St.

'I was immediately sold,' Nora said. 'Much less needed to be done to make it a dynamic, open white box, which is what we wanted.'

Still, some work needed to be done. She said Lumley and her husband have put in over 200 hours to date, renovating the space.

'It's been challenging,' said Tony, who is the development and marketing coordinator at the Emily Dickinson Museum. Despite narrowly escaping from a large chunk of collapsing plaster, he said renovating the space was a lot of fun.

'It's been very much a new experience for me,' he said. Nora said they raised the ceiling, which almost doubled the size of the interior.

'It's all open, northern light, which is perfect for art,' she said. 'It's inspiring to see it in the state that it's in right now.'

She said opening a gallery has been a longtime dream for her and her husband. The couple met when they were both working at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. They relocated to Amherst, then Pelham in 2002, after she accepted a position as director of development and marketing at the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst.

She said the gallery's focus will be on supporting emerging local talent and emerging collectors. They will host fine art exhibits, as well as sell pieces. The gallery, which doesn't have a name yet, will offer fine arts-inspired classes, as well as applied arts classes, such as knitting and upholstering. She said they'd also like to sell art to local corporations.

Although the Hapco space is off downtown's beaten path, the threesome is prepared to work hard to make their gallery a destination. She said that a lack of parking spaces and foot traffic are things they will have to take into consideration.

'We're not completely naive,' said Nora. 'We're going to have to create a draw to the space in a major way.'

She said they do not want to step on the toes of other local galleries, like the Eric Carle, the Fiber Arts Center and the Amherst Community Arts Center. Therefore, the gallery will not offer programs for children, will not teach pottery and will not try to teach the mastery of a technique. She also said she wants the gallery to be a place where people feel relaxed and comfortable.

'Our concept for the gallery,' she said, 'is to provide a space that is different than anything else in Amherst. I would like people to see the space not as a retail front, not as a gallery where you have to be quiet.' She said they plan on adding couches and conference tables to the space so people can gather. She cited Amherst Coffee's atmosphere as the feel the trio are going for.

'I think there's going to be a trend towards greater sophistication in terms of what's offered downtown,' she said. 'We want to be a part of that, if we can.'

The Maroulis' and Lumley are working on organizing the gallery's opening show, tentatively titled 'Fresh,' which will exhibit the work of four local artists, Derek Noble among them. They are also working on setting up their Web site and finding instructors. They plan to open the gallery between the end of October and the beginning of November. The gallery's hours will be limited at first.

'We want to provide the public with an opportunity to learn about art and surround themselves with art,' she said. 'We're excited about it.'