3 minute read
New Wave Gallery
The long-established Waverley Gallery on Main Street in Prestwick has new owners and a fresh, modern look!
Coastal Woods
Jaclyn Tobin Jaclyn Tobin, with the support of her husband Adrian, has taken up the reins and quickly revamped the business with a progressive and more inclusive gallery vibe, plus a renewed focus on local artists.
But one thing that hasn’t changed are the experienced workshop hands of longtime employee, Fiona, who has worked at the Waverley for 25 plus years and is a big advocate of Larson-Juhl. And she says that since re-opening last summer business has never been so brisk.
Jaclyn, whose background is in fashion textiles but is a renowned artist in her own right, explains: “It’s been a dream of mine to own a gallery one day, but more like 10 years into the future. However, I knew the Waverley Gallery well after years of them framing my work, so when we heard that the previous owners were thinking of selling up, that pipe dream quickly became a reality.
Proud new owners
“Adrian took a framing course a while back and loved it, so a deal was quickly struck and in just a few months we were the proud, new owners.”
Since the re-opening, the Waverley Gallery has been operating flat out – continuing to look after the framing needs of a loyal customer base, but also attracting in a new breed of local artistic talent.
The previous incarnation relied heavily on commercial prints, but Jaclyn’s vision is a lighter and brighter decor and to go original on stock. Not too much has changed, but it’s certainly been pared down and is less cluttered – with new lighting and ornate cornice features. She says: “I’m all for artists and customers coming in for a coffee, chat or consultation, even bringing in their dogs, and staying for a while – to reflect and enjoy, like a proper gallery should be. And we’re already supplying to interior designers who love our fresh approach.
Frame and display to the max
“We quickly became a hot topic amongst the South Ayrshire artist fraternity too and I love sharing my ideas on how best to show off, frame and display their works to the max. There is some serious local talent around, that we champion – including stunning abstract artist Carolyn Laidlaw, digital Ayrshire creative Katie Lamb and ceramicist Richie Cameron.
Old look
New look
Confetti fillets
“We’ve done a lot of work with a very established French artist called Guive Khosravi as well, for his shows in Paris, because he loved our framing approach and especially the Larson-Juhl Confetti range. Fiona has used pretty much all the Larson-Juhl mouldings and mountboards over the years, but that one quickly became a favourite of mine because of the amazing colours and aesthetics. It’s also helped attract in a younger client base.”
Jaclyn’s bold, new approach to business, combining vintage, contemporary and niche in equal measure is certainly different to what their competitors are doing, plus their work with a wellconnected regional fine art dealer is also paying dividends.
Dynamic and illustrative ethos
The Waverley is also making its first foray into social media – with Instagram especially a highly visual platform akin to their dynamic and illustrative ethos – plus they’re also working on a new gallery website.
Jaclyn concludes: “We’ve kept the tried and trusted parts of the business and the Larson-Juhl relationship is certainly one of them. I’m also a big fan of their impressive sustainable range and really push it to customers old and new. We have young children aged 15 and 13 and they’re very much into environmental issues, so we simply must do our bit for the planet as well.
For more information about Waverley Gallery follow the business on Instagram @thewaverleygallery.
