Need a place to sell your art? This new Franklin Street shop is the place for you

A new store has come to Franklin Street, and it's fully dedicated to student artists. 

Galore, located on the second floor of 149 E. Franklin St., stocks everything from stickers to custom clothing, all featuring the work of UNC artists. 

Colby Kirkpatrick, executive director of Galore, said the store currently houses work from over 25 student artists and is actively recruiting more. 

“I think the biggest draw to the store is without a doubt the immense talent that’s housed in the walls,” Kirkpatrick said. 

Kat Miles, a journalism and studio art double major, is a member of the Galore team who recruits artists. She said artists usually approach the recruiters. They then have a conversation about what work they want to sell and how they can sell it best. 

The team can take an artist’s work and turn it into items like prints, postcards, bags, phone cases or fabric. 

Miles said one artist brought an oil painting, but paintings can be hard to sell because they’re out of most students' price range. So, she said the Galore team turned the painting into throw pillows, which sold well. 

Miles said Galore puts the spotlight on creatives around campus. 

“Really, the possibilities are endless," Miles said. "It could be anything from a makeup bag to phone case to a pillow. Anything the artists wants to do or we come up with — we are doing our best to make happen.”

Kirkpatrick said Galore operating as a nonprofit allows all of the sales to go directly back to the artists. Any additional profit made by the store will be donated to arts initiatives in Chapel Hill. 

Sam Prasad, who graduated from UNC in December 2018, also helps recruit artists for the store. The Galore team’s main goal is to push for artists, Prasad said. As a studio art major, Prasad said she noticed student artists are often left out of art initiatives on campus. 

Galore will be holding an opening celebration on Feb. 8. There will be new inventory in the store, live music and beverages provided. 

“It’s really cool to see people come up there, get really inspired by something and wanna wear it out or wanna display it and they’ll find something special about it and carry that out into the world,” Prasad said. 

arts@dailytarheel.com