Pandemic Profile: The ArtFarm

Pandemic Profile:

By: Page Shields

While the COVID-19 pandemic has challenged small businesses, The ArtFarm is still going strong. This charming Decatur store supplies the community with quality art and quality times.

Looking for a Decatur-made gift for your hometown family and friends? In need of some new jewelry? Soaps? Decorations for your dorm room? Just a few blocks away is The ArtFarm, where you’ll find everything you’re looking for and more.

The ArtFarm is a local retail gallery dedicated to showcasing the work of more than 80 makers in the Decatur area. With a collection that includes everything from home-brewed coffee to fairy houses, this space is an exciting and accessible experience for patrons and creators alike.

A Decaturite at heart, owner Peggy Baity was born and raised in the local area. Though she’s become all too familiar with the “pervasive negative attitude” of many residents, Baity is not discouraged by cynics. Instead, she sees this outlook as an opportunity or, as she puts it, “a nut to crack.”

But while the store is a local favorite, the ArtFarm’s reach doesn’t stop at Decatur’s borders. This artists’ hub draws in visitors from all over. “Outside of being a colorful, inclusive space, I know that when folks tell me they’ve come here from another city to check out The ArtFarm then ask where else they can shop and recommendations for lunch or dinner, I’ve done my part to bring people to this area,” Baity says.

In addition to artistic endeavors, The ArtFarm has become a community hub. The COVID-19 pandemic has put a damper on the shop’s “Out Back Summer Music Series,” which was set to “catch fire” in the summer of 2020, but Baity has continued to help host outdoor pop-ups and festivals. Punk on Park, a street festival, will run for the third time in August of 2022.

Community members hope indoor events at The ArtFarm will soon resume. Baity encourages visitors to attend classes at the store. Learn to Spin Yarn with Donna Lighthouse, a workshop covering techniques for spinning wool, is a customer favorite, along with Meet the Authors at the ArtFarm, a free event that has featured writers such as Gabriela Brunner and Debra Joy Hart.

No business has gone untouched by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, but Baity and The ArtFarm have continued to thrive while adapting to the demands of today’s world. “We will continue to innovate to keep this movement fresh and new for the artists I proudly represent, the public and the community who has yet to discover what we are and what we’re all about,” Baity says.

Visit The ArtFarm at 252 North Park Street, Decatur, or shop online at artfarmdecatur.com.

Interested in showcasing your own work? Apply with an artist agreement at artfarmdecatur.com.