44 Main Street was abuzz with the happy chatter of a crowd of art-lovers on Friday, April 5 at Sparrow Art Supply’s Grand Reopening Party. Since the store’s opening two years ago, it has occupied a lower-level space at 52 Main Street.
Last week, the business completed their move across the Otter Creek bridge.
Revelers were drawn on April 5 to the store and gallery’s new space by the promise of Thistle and Honey-catered baked goods, free wine, a raffle and the new exhibit “Green Gold.” The Grand Reopening was, as owner Beth Bluestein predicted, “hopping.”
The store soft-opened a week ahead of schedule on March 30 before the official reopening on Friday. This marks just four weeks of transition following the March 2 closure of their old space. The new space benefits from the grand east-facing windows that wall the storefront, bathing the gallery and product displays in natural light. Now on street level, the store is more accessible and visible to prospective customers.
The new gallery exhibit, “Green Gold: A Celebration of New Beginnings,” accompanied the store’s reopening. Inspired by Robert Frost’s poem “Nothing Gold Can Stay,” it features seven artists’ work in ceramics, mixed media, foraged pigments and more. The artists explored personal life transitions as well as seasonal and celestial shifts.
Bluestein first recognized the scarcity of art supply stores in the area when she moved to Middlebury in late 2020 and opened Sparrow after receiving a business grant from Kick Start Middlebury in 2021. Since the store’s original opening in March 2022, it has become an important fixture of the local artistic community, and its prime location in downtown Middlebury has brought in repeat customers from across Addison County.
Bluestein emphasized the importance of fostering community, describing how quickly the business became a site of connection for local artists — hobbyists and professionals alike. “I think art-making can be a really fulfilling part of life, but it also can be really lonely sometimes,” she said.
“[Bluestein’s] very community-minded,” said Kate Gridley, who attended Friday’s grand reopening. Gridley is a local painter who holds workshops and classes at Middlebury as a visiting instructor.
Bluestein also described how the store nurtures relationships with college staff. On numerous occasions, Sparrow has collaborated with Middlebury professors to stock relevant materials for upcoming classes.
In a rural college town where art students might otherwise resort to the nearest JOANN’s an hour away in Burlington for supplies, Sparrow offers an opportunity to explore new materials and discover other local artists right here in town, Bluestein explained.
“Artists are very tactile people, so they want to see things in person — they want to touch things; they want to be able to ask questions,” Bluestein said.
Sparrow’s rotating gallery also provides an exciting opportunity for emerging artists, students among them, to exhibit their work. “There’s kind of a weird ‘Catch-22’ in the gallery world… in order to exhibit in a gallery, you had to have exhibited before. It’s like you have to have shown experience, but how do you do that unless you’re given the chance?” Bluestein added.
Bluestein fondly remembers her time in the store’s old space, which she spent forming lasting connections with customers and watching young artists grow. She recalls one first-time exhibitor in particular, a Middlebury professor who had recently delved into watercolor. On the opening night of that exhibition, the professor’s family and friends gathered to celebrate her work, and Bluestein got to announce and process the artist’s first sale.
Aside from mentioning the possibility of shifting from open-call galleries to more curated shows, Bluestein noted that most aspects of the business will remain unchanged as she makes the transition into the new space. The next time you’re feeling the urge to get crafty, stock your supplies from Sparrow’s new nest.
