Young is careful with describing her venture . “ A lot of times when you hear the word ‘ gallery ,’ it ’ s a red flag that it ’ s going to be expensive ,” she said . “ I wanted to break that cycle .” So she has filled the space with items for every age and every budget . One-of-a-kind oil and acrylic paintings decorate the walls at Young at Art . Young ’ s own work as well as jewelry , pottery , needlepoint , mixed media and other creations from her fellow West Virginia artisans are scattered throughout . Young has also curated work from a variety of outof-state artists she has met while traveling with her own art , as well as an eclectic mix of fair-trade items from places as far away as Asia . “ I want people to know that fair trade does exist and there are people in Vietnam and other places who are making these pieces ,” she said . Yet though she thinks it ’ s important to showcase the work of her fellow artisans , many of whom have no other outlet for their creations , Young said she knows those items might not always appeal to the youngest of customers . In creating Young at Art ’ s children ’ s section , Young pulled from her own early childhood shopping experiences at her favorite store in Salem , N . H . “ My mom gave me $ 5 and told me to get anything I wanted ,” she explained . “ They had all these bins in there and all these years later I can remember sifting through them .” Though often accompanied by adults who browse a different section of the shop , Young said 40 percent of her business comes from little hands sifting through bins of pens , buttons and rings just as she once did . “ One little girl comes in , she ’ s tiny and she always has a purse ,” Young said , smiling . “ She has money and she picks up her little $ 1 notebooks and little pens and comes up to the counter and pays for it .” And while the children might enter the store for different reasons , Young said they often look with wonder at the bigger picture . “ They ’ re coming in for those little things , but they ’ re being exposed to much more ,” she said . “ And if they have questions , I can explain it and help open their eyes to fine art .” She said she and the other local artisans who work in the shop are always available to answer questions and assist visitors of all ages . But her philosophy on customer service is much like her thoughts on promotion . “ I really want customers to have their own safe space ,” she said . “ I like to be left alone when I shop so I leave them ( customers ) alone . I don ’ t want to bombard them like , ‘ Hey , you ’ ve got to look at this !’
50 ❖ SOUTH ❖ JANUARY - FEBRUARY ' 22