History of The Paint Spot 1985 – 2004

This reminiscence was composed by the late David Bradley in January 26, 2004. David co-owned the store with Sidsel Naess Bradley.

This is dedicated to our Customers.

Established in 1985 by David and Sidsel Bradley, The Paint Spot fine art materials store is an Edmonton based company with a history of innovation. The main ingredients in the Bradley’s success formula were dedication to the customer, and insistence on handling top quality products.

In 1984, Sidsel Bradley, at the time enrolled in the BFA program at the University of Alberta, noted that while many fellow students were using D L Stevenson’s artist paints, these products were not easy to obtain as they had to combine their orders, then wait a week or two for their arrival from Toronto. She felt someone should stock these materials here in Edmonton in order that artists could peruse the full line and select from an accessible inventory.

Thus began the concept of The Paint Spot. I, David Bradley, was ‘vocationally available’ at this time so she brought the idea to me for discussion, to determine the next steps. A trip to Toronto to meet with D L Stevenson was arranged to see if a basis could be seen for such an outlet. Sidsel and I knew that building such a new business would depend on some level of market security, and decided to ask for Alberta as our protected market. The meeting in Toronto (Scarborough) involved David L Stevenson and his son and daughter, as well as Jim Peters, the general manager. While this first meeting was cordial, I felt a general reluctance and scepticism from the Stevensons – they seemed little interested in any such arrangement. However, at the lowest point, Mr Peters asked if I might excuse all four while they had a private discussion. On their return, a change of heart became evident and we were offered instead a larger protected market than we had asked for. This enabled us to more freely stock and promote this unknown line.

On return to Edmonton, I began the task of seeking a location and purchasing fixtures for the as yet un-named dealership. This proved to be a difficult task as nothing I looked at seemed suitable, or if it was, then available. Of the 15 or so spaces I looked at, only one seemed suitable and desirable – a small studio just off Whyte Avenue on 107 Street, owned by Budget Rent-a-Car – but when I spoke to the Budget manager, he gruffly told me it had just been leased. In the following two or three weeks of searching, I kept longing for that two-room studio and was haunted, knowing it was also the only space that seemed suitable. One day something prompted me to try once again, even though I expected to be turned down rudely once more. To my astonishment Brian said, “Lucky thing you came along because the lease fell through. It is yours.” From this point we seemed to have great luck with many subsequent challenges. Another example is the call I received from a friend who had heard what we were up to, suggesting I get right down to Liquidation World where they were holding a clearance sale on store fixtures collected from some craft stores. This was a time when craft sales was plunging in popularity and many of these stores were closing. I was able to obtain all the fixtures we would need for future years.

8209 107 Street

Our rented space was a charming little shop of about 700 sq feet, which had been a gift shop, then more recently, a weaving studio. The neighbours were Whyte Avenue Foods and Al’s Meats, both of which had been there since at least the early sixties. I think the old, two storey wood structure had existed since the thirties or forties. (It is interesting that the small meat cutting plant I managed on arrival from Toronto in 1970 was directly across Whyte Avenue, and I frequently had coffee at the diner with the butcher from Al’s.)

On pulling up some of the old Ozite carpet, we discovered hardwood floors. These became an obsession for us, and we laboured for weeks to bring them back to life. First we soaked the glue that had held the old carpets in place for decades, with odourless mineral spirits (from our new stock), then spent many days to sand and varnish the newly-revealed hardwood floors. I think we also brought new life to the entire building as we were successful in getting Budget to re-paint the structure just after we opened. Eventually, as we grew, we had to have storage everywhere – even on shelves constructed in the bathroom. There was hardly room left for normal bathroom activities.

We started in business on May 1,1985, and incorporated in June. I was 45 years old and Sidsel, 42, the perfect ages for starting a new venture. At first the store had no name so we just hung a sheet of shipping paper in the window for a sign, with Stevenson Paints written on it with a black marker. In a few days we had chosen a name, and this was printed onto brown paper with coloured markers – so now we had our name in colour. After choosing the name, we organized a contest for the design of a logo among all the recent U of A design grads we could locate. Thirteen of them entered for a chance to win the $250 prize, and of five finalists, Gwen Deegan was the clear winner. I was told later that she used the money toward an airline ticket to Toronto where she landed a good job in design. She is still there, and her great Paint Spot logo is still admired and remembered today.

Our first shipment, which arrived before we were ready, was ordered by Sidsel as I was totally unfamiliar with artist materials. It consisted of a pup trailer load of Stevenson oils, acrylics, watercolours and brushes, papers, canvas, and stretched canvases. It was the first time Edmonton artists had seen clear plastic jars of paints in gallons, quarts and pints. The acrylic wall has remained a colourful feature of the store, in all locations.

Features that Sidsel wanted to offer our customers were a gallery wall, and a ‘kaffee klatch’ area where customers could sit and relax with a cup of coffee. Art could always be seen in the store, whether on the walls or even as an installation in the centre of the floor. This gallery wall remained a part of The Paint Spot. In our second location we reserved two store walls for hanging local art, and in our third and present location, the 1200 sq ft Fringe Gallery displays art in the basement below the store.

The Paint Spot was unique in western Canada in that we did not follow the usual course of stocking supplies for both areas of art – fine art, and graphic art/drafting. Instead we maintained a focus on materials for painters and sketchers, enabling us to offer the artist-customer a higher level of expertise. To further this aim, we began to offer our customers printed Tips Sheets, bearing information on how to use various materials. This resource grew to the point where we reserved two file drawers to store them all, as they numbered over one hundred. We continued to create these product letters by recording pertinent information learned from the many conversations held with our manufacturers’ laboratory staff. This practice proved valuable and assisted us in becoming a reliable resource for artists.

In addition, we stubbornly refused to deal with the distributor representing the then-dominant Grumbacher brand, choosing instead to stick with our original concept of offering to Alberta artists, quality brands which were not then available to them. This proved to be a hard road to follow and for this reason, education remained a key element in our operating style. Golden acrylics were a near-unknown name in Canada until we began stocking them after a call to New York in June ‘85. We had been discussing this brand with a customer in our first store when Sidsel suggested I make a call to the factory and see if they would be interested in our representing the name in Alberta. I agreed, saying I would make a call the next morning. But she insisted I call immediately, right now. I did, and Mark Golden answered the phone, saying “it’s funny, but we were just now discussing what to do about the Canadian market.” He indicated they would consider dealing with us, so we followed up, sending him a detailed package of information which even included photographs of us and our store. The result was an agreement, and the first stocking dealer in all of western Canada (we were just the second store in all of Canada). Today their acrylic paints are sold world-wide.

The Paint Spot achieved a number of ‘firsts’ for Alberta:
_ first store to stock acrylic paints in quarts and gallons
_ first store to stock and sell Stevenson paints (oils, acrylics and watercolours)
_ first store to stock and sell Golden Artist Colors
_ first store to handle Schmincke products from Germany.  H. Schmincke and Co. was then another new and unknown name in Canada that we contacted in 1986. We become an exclusive dealer for these fine German paints, and introduced their name into the western market. This connection was also the result of our interest and our contacting the factory directly, making a positive impression on the Schmincke owner himself.
_ first store to stock Sennelier oil and dry pastels from France (1985)
_ first store to stock da Vinci artist brushes from Germany (1987)

One other factor in our success has been frequent product testing. We didn’t accept the manufacturers’ grand statements about their products, so we did our own tests, including about 150 lightfastness tests (to check for fading). All new materials were handled by our artists on staff, just as they would be later by our customers, to verify the quality and equip the staff to better help customers.

Since 1986, David began producing a newsletter known as The Spot’Light, which was mailed annually to all customers. This 4 to 6 page publication was written to include interesting and useful tips to enable artists to gain a better understanding of materials, and it too won recognition as the Best Newsletter by the NAMTA organization in USA. (National Art Materials Trade Association)

When that first two year lease was up, we were asked to find a new home as Budget had other plans for the property. In fact the old building got partially torn down even before we had left – only our section was left standing. We finally left it on May 1, 1987, and when I drove by the next morning, there was nothing but rubble where our ‘home’ had been.

In the Commercial Hotel 10325 Whyte Ave

We heard that the Commercial Hotel had just completed a new tavern, leaving the old one, facing onto Whyte Avenue, empty, renovated and available for lease. We became its first tenants in 1987. This was brand new space, with plush grey carpet and two wood and glass doors, and excellent windows for passers-by to see. It was 40% larger than the old place, and while it lacked parking, it served us well. This is where we started to decorate our street-front windows which became an attraction for passers-by, as well as a good marketing tool. Our meagre stock area and ‘office’ was simply the narrow hall behind the store. This area was well-used, with our staff of five and their desks, serving also as a ‘lunchroom’ (same desks) and a stockroom. Eventually we had to rent a room upstairs for additional office space, as well as a room in the hotel basement to store cases of inventory.

Due to the nature of The Commercial Hotel, some of our daily visitors were bikers and drunks, but we had little trouble. During these seven years, I became involved with the early stage of the Old Strathcona Village Market Association, a long name that was later shortened by the removal of one word – “Village”. This group has since developed into OSBA, the Old Strathcona Business Association. Sidsel, during these years, completed the BFA program and then went on to get her Masters of Fine Art, all the while finding time to attend to our books and finances.

We stayed there in our second location for seven years, and when it was time to renew once again, the landlord bumped the rate by 25%. This meant that we had to find a new home in a hurry. We searched again throughout the entire region, and finding nothing, we expanded the search to include many light warehouse districts of the south side. Meanwhile, Sidsel’s friend, who was in real estate, suggested we look at purchasing a small building that she thought would suit us. This was viewed as outrageous – we are only a little art supplies store; how could we think of owning a building? But she persisted and as we became more desperate, we finally decided to have a look at the two-storey building she had in mind. We quite liked it and could see how it could be made suitable, so Sidsel and I managed to acquire it.

In the brick building at 10516 Whyte Ave:

It was quite a mess when we first started work on it in 1992. The Cathayan building had been derelict for six years, and home for hundreds of pigeons. They lived in the space below the roof and got into the heating system too, so they were everywhere. Once we got a call from the City after an irate citizen had spotted one bird flying around inside when renovations were about to begin. She had been in touch with the City to accuse us of cruelty to animals.

Since it was built in 1949, this building had been the Cathayan Restaurant, the most respected Chinese restaurant of the south side. In its later life it became The Blackforest Inn, a German restaurant with rather a poor reputation. I myself was threatened by the owner-chef when I was a customer in about 1988. When I complained that my schnitzel was overcooked, she came from the kitchen carrying a cleaver to tell me I had no right to tell her how to cook. Shortly after this the restaurant caught fire, resulting in an insurance claim. Today, what is now the stockroom had been the kitchen, with cork-insulated walk-in cooler and freezer, and an extensive air extraction system extending throughout the main floor.

We now had 3000 sq feet of space, which included, for the first time, a real stockroom and an office. Our extensive renovations continued during the hot, hot summer of 1992 with our son Paul’s help, and we moved in September. Sidsel was able to further develop her dream of offering emerging Alberta artists a gallery space, with the 1100 square foot Fringe Gallery in the basement, below the store. The Fringe name had no connection with The Fringe Festival, rather, it was chosen to represent an alternative space with mostly non-commercial artworks on display, such as wouldn’t likely be seen elsewhere in Edmonton. Hence it was on the fringe of the usual gallery works. The Fringe Gallery is a non-profit gallery, funded entirely by the Bradleys and The Paint Spot, with no outside assistance. These exhibitions of paintings and sculptures are presented to the public in month-long displays, with twelve shows each year. It was later renamed the Naess Gallery in honour of Sidsel.

Our most unconventional exhibition involved the replacement of the floor drains in the basement, which turned into the unique opportunity of a “happening installation”, called Installation/Excavation, where all the dug-up elements were used as a vital part of the exhibition. One comment from a viewer was: “How much is the dirt?”

We initiated the Whyte Avenue Art Walk in 1996 with the thought of bringing art to the public in a manner that is so common in Europe, hence the slogan the Left Bank of Edmonton. In Paris and many other cities, it’s common to see artists painting in public, but in our city, this just was not happening. The Art Walk has changed that. The first Art Walk saw about 40 artists painting (and selling) their works on Whyte Avenue, to the delight and curiosity of many passers-by, most of whom had never actually seen an artiste. In these nine years, and with the hard work of Kim Fjordbotten, the new Paint Spot owner, this 3-day event has grown to be recognized by the City, by tourist offices and by the media as a small bona-fide festival, with as many as 250 artists participating from all over western Canada. We have been told there is no other art festival quite like it anywhere.

We have been fortunate in attracting accomplished artists to work for us, and we have fond memories of these people. We were sad to see them go but supported their move to something better, often university or full time painting. Special mention must be made, however, of Christine Wallewein (MVA), who started with us way back in 1987 and stayed to serve us loyally in many capacities since that time. A rather unique staff member has been the Dachshund dog, Gus, who joined Sidsel’s family in 1995. He joined our staff right away and ‘worked’ full time in customer relations, usually as the front door greeter. He had the best arrangement of all, being allowed to either greet customers or sleep. Few other employees were allowed such privileges.

Some highlights from these years

Our talented staff created many great window displays over the years, some of which won us awards. One of the prizes was a 5 kg block of Belgian chocolate which had to be portioned with a ripsaw in our maintenance shop before being shared with the staff. Another memorable display was live chickens in the window as the “Whyte Avenue Peep Show”. This display had a dozen newly-hatched chicks (with heat lamps to keep them cozy), behind the nearly obscured painted window, with a few peep holes left for pedestrians to peek through.

Birthday Cakes for our tenth birthday were constructed by the staff, using mainly art materials from stock. When the results were revealed, they proved most interesting – some examples are: “The Two Tonne Calorie-wise Torte” made partially with concrete; “No Bake, High-fibre Collage Cake” and “Raspberry Glamour Girl Tart”. While not eaten, the cakes were very much enjoyed.

Of the recognition, the letters of appreciation and awards that came our way, one we are most proud of is the Mayor’s Award for Support of the Arts in 2000. It was satisfying for our efforts to be recognized. Other awards remembered – Best Newsletter, best Window display, Great Idea Contest winner for the Art Walk (from NAMTA) and the Best Art Materials Store in Edmonton (three times).

In February 2004, a sale of The Paint Spot was finalized, with control being passed to Kim Fjordbotten. Kim is the natural person to take over the enterprise, having worked for the Bradleys in the capacity of general manager, enabling her to gain knowledge in all areas of the operation. Kim is an artist who gained on-the-job experience from three years working at Burlington Art Store in Edmonton, prior to joining us.

Thank you all, for contributing to these wonderful years. It was difficult to break away without making a statement to many of you whom we have come to know, but this was not practical. How could we call 7000 people, or even 700? But we do miss you. We went into the business for the opportunity and adventure, not realizing it would be the people that meant the most to us after all – artists from PEI to Vancouver Island (and one in California). The same also goes for our vendors, who treated us so well, both manufacturers and distributors. We’ll miss you too. 

With thanks,

David Bradley and Sidsel N Bradley