backtotheroots

Yesterday, Tuesday April 7th 2009 Stephane and I opened our gallery & studio ShenArt. It took us 2 weeks to complete the renovations and organize the business. We are exhausted but so happy! Our first guests were aunt Rosi, our friends Doron and Brigitte and her mother, our electrician Itsik who did such a great job, George the French carpenter who has helped us find the right people and gave us all good addresses for our supplies, our neighbours Lisa the hairdresser, Avi the antique dealer and Ruben who manages the coffee shop accross the street. There is of course still so much to do... because now that the gallery is ready we need to start our PR and publicity in order to attract as many visitors and buyers as possible. Now is the time to apply all I have learned and done in my career as PR and communication consultant to my own business! Internet site, mailings, press kits, events, promotion.... The plannings and briefings are almost ready... But first we will celebrate a little. Stephane and I started yesterday with champagne. Tonight we will be in Herzlia at my cousins to celebrate the Passover Seder. Tomorrow is a holiday but we will open a few hours... for all the tourists who are in town looking for sunshine, Tel Aviv action and some art.... 

Hopefully no-one will enter anymore asking us about nails.... which is what the former tenant was doing. Stephane made and placed the sign yesterday. We are both very proud of it! Tomorrow we hope to have the final ok from the insurance so that we can begin bringing and placing the sculptures in the gallery.

Yesterday evening was also the opening ceremony of Tel Aviv 100 years! We went to Kikar Rabin - where it took place -  with Doron, Brigitte and Brigitte's mother. It was amazing!!!!  Great show with hundreds of artists, firework, amazing projections of films and pictures, the Israeli Philarmonic Orchestra... And it all ended with a huge street party. I did not have the right camera but you can see pictures on Frits de Wit's website, Dutch guy who came here years ago. Frits does many things here and is also a guide, specialized in Tel Aviv. If you ever come here you must take a tour with Frits! Check anyway his website on http://www.telaviv-fever.com/.

Now it starts looking like a gallery... at least we think so! We are waiting for the final go from the insurance company and then we can open. We plan and hope to be operational on Tuesday, just before the holiday starts. Of course there are still tons of things to do: get more sculptures ready, start thinking about our website, PR plan, etc.... We take it and do it day by day. And yesterday, aunt Rosi paid us a visit at the gallery.  She really likes it! She is so nice, encouraging us with all her heart. We went together for lunch at the beach - one of her favorite places called "cafe London". This is the beauty of it all: the gallery is 5 minutes away from the beach. Just guess where I will have my "lunch - and coffee breaks..." And imagine us during the hot summer nights, closing up the gallery and going for an evening swim, drink.... Yes, this is exactly what I wanted!