How We Grew Our Art Gallery Business More Than 100% [Station 16 Update]
Hello again! Remind us who you are and what business you started.
My name is Adam Vieira, and I am the co-founder and Vice President of S16 Group (Station 16 Editions / S16 Galleries). Station 16 is a creative company that specializes in art placement, presentation and creation. We have two Galleries in Montreal, an ecommerce site that sells prints, art toys and collectibles, a printshop that produces limited edition silkscreen and digital prints and garments, as well as a projects division that produces Murals and Sculptural installations, and now we have launched into the Metaverse with S16NFT. Today these combined efforts bring in about $350,000 a month and growing.
If you see something is not working change it, don’t wait, time is against you.
Tell us about what you’ve been up to! Has the business been growing?
Since we last spoke we moved from our original gallery location to à larger space in Old Montreal (the heart of art galleries in the city), and last November we opened a second gallery in Westmount, a very affluent area of Montreal. We also expanded our printing operation and combined it with our ecommerce business for a better storage and shipping process, and this month we launched our first round of NFTs with 10 of our artists.
After the pandemic hit, we took that opportunity to focus our efforts online. We already had a well-known online store and we focused on creating more online products and content. Without a gallery open to the public, this was our only means of selling art. But we didn’t just pivot online, we used this time to prepare for the future.
Our original gallery location had been sold, and was being torn down, so we moved into a larger space where we knew we could have a bright future. And it allowed us to bring in more art, and when we reopened it was à massive success. Our clients were impressed that we were growing at à time that seemed like nothing good was happening.
We also used this moment to rebrand our company. We divided the brand in two, one focusing on volume and ecommerce (Station 16 Editions) and the other on a VIP in person experience (S16 Gallery). We expanded the team as well. Bringing on à Marketing director, and full time social media manager. We also revamped our Editions website to make it more user friendly and breakdown our journey.
What have been your biggest lessons learned in the last year?
The start of the pandemic was a scary time. We really didn’t know much, and how it would impact our business. We were lucky to have an existing online presence, which helped us survive. But I think using that time to expand our business was a lucky bet, and it paid off.
Our biggest strength has been reinvesting in our business, when are good we expand into new areas, and we’ve been able to create multiple revenue streams for ourselves and our artists. This year we finally launched into NFTs and it’s a brand new market for us, and it’s growing every day.
What’s in the plans for the upcoming year, and the next 5 years?
This year we’ll be opening a new location for Station 16 Editions in the city, as an extension of our eccomerce, and we have plans to grow S16 and open another gallery in the next 2 years. I’m excited to continue growing our NFT program, we plan on pairing these launches with physical art as well, to get that customer into the physical art collecting world as well, and vice versa.
Have you read any good books in the last year?
Podcasts are a daily ritual for me. I listen to them on my drive, as well as on my runs after work. A few of my all time favorites are Startup, the pitch, and this american life.
Advice for other entrepreneurs who might be struggling to grow their business?
Although I am a pretty safe player, my business partners have always taken a lot of risks, and that has served us pretty well. My advice there, is to find someone who balances you and counters your thoughts, together you’ll do great. The only other advice I can give is in regards to pivoting, if you see something is not working change it, don’t wait, time is against you.
Are you looking to hire for certain positions right now?
We are always looking for Sales Associates for the gallery, and Social Media and Content Managers, we are growing quickly in those areas.
Where can we go to learn more?
- station16editions.com
- s16gallery.com
- s16nft.io
- Station16 and S16Gallery on Facebook
- Station16Editions and S16Gallery on Instagram
- S16 Group on Linkedin
If you have any questions or comments, drop a comment below!
