Spotlight on Fire and Rain Gallery, Fine American Handcrafted Art and Gifts at 705 Sutter St - Updated: July 2018
Fire and Rain Gallery has returned to the Folsom Historic District and we're excited to include them in our Business Spotlight Series.
We're spotlighting long-time favorites, new arrivals, and hidden gems alike. We encourage you to share these local stories and visit with merchants to get to know them firsthand.
We connected with owner Judy Smith to learn more about Fire and Rain Gallery at 705 Sutter St.
How would I describe Fire and Rain Gallery?
Fire and Rain is a collection of American Handcrafted Art, with very few exceptions.
The majority of artists are local though some are national.
The art featured in Fire and Rain include sculptures and paintings as well as furniture, handbags and jewelry.
What led you to start Fire and Rain Gallery and what are a common questions or misconceptions people have about the business?
It's an interesting story. I've always enjoyed design and began with college courses in interior design.
Early on, I had a friend who sold pellet stoves for a living and he asked me to improve his showroom to help him sell more stoves. Everyone was buying the stuff in the showroom... everything except the stoves.
That led me to home decor and then working with artists and my first time on Sutter Street in 1993.
Artists need a venue to sell their work and we want to provide a place to showcase them. We had a few years away from Folsom but heart is here and we returned to Sutter Street in 2017.
Sometimes people are scared by the word "gallery" thinking we're not in everyone's budget. WE have price points from $12 to $25,000 and we carry a lot of products that some people wouldn't associate with a "gallery" such as jewelry, bags, furniture, signs, candles, etc.
How often do you feature new products and pieces
What's the Biggest Compliment we've received?
A woman visited with us during the holidays and she told me "This was my Christmas present. Being able to come back."
That almost made me cry because she was so excited.
That's really rewarding.
What are some ways you're involved with the community in Folsom and why did you choose the Historic District?
Like I said, Folsom is where my heart's at.
I love the small-town ambiance and the authentic relationships that come with it. I moved to Folsom from the Bay Area in 1987 and this is like, "the jewel."
I found that when I was going on vacation I was constantly looking for product and wanted to be able to vacation with a purpose so simply putting those two together made sense.
Plus I missed the social part of it and working with the artists. Helping them get their product out there. Galleries are going away and the arts are still important.
I love supporting young artists and having art students come in to critique pieces and think about how it makes them feel.
What can people expect in the future from Fire and Rain Galleries?
We always want to find and feature new artists, young artists and artists who don't have a venue. It's great if they can contact me (through my website) then I'd love to see photos and a description of their medium and approach.
We also have events regularly and enjoy hosting shows for specific artists.
Note: this article was updated in July of 2018 to reflect Fire & Rain's new address at 705 Sutter St.
Want to browse merchants in the Historic District?
Click over to Find It In Historic Folsom
Brian Ostrovsky is CEO of Folsom-based startup Locable and excited to be working with the Historic District to share stories that make Folsom unique, and pretty much all-things-local.
Folsom Historic District
702 Sutter Street, Suite C
Folsom, CA 95630
(916) 985-7452
www.historicfolsom.org