By Emily Williams-Robertshaw
When Matthew Monroe and his daughter Anna Grace looked at the second floor of Tricia’s Treasures, a packed waiting room for unsold items, they saw potential for something new.
The father-daughter team collaborated to create Alabama Treasures, an art gallery on the second floor of the Homewood store that features 25 Alabama artists.
In early September the two began creating the new Alabama Treasures with the blessing of Matthew’s mother, Tricia Thompson.
Since 1981, Tricia’s Treasures has been a space for Thompson to build a thriving antiques business as well as a legacy for her family. Thompson is a second-generation antiques dealer, having grown up in the business through her parents’ East Lake store, Roberta’s Browse and Buy.
She later took over the space next door to her parent’s shop and established her own blend of great antiques, a fun atmosphere and a sense of family. Over time, the store has grown to include its third-generation family member, Matthew, as well as its fourth generation in Anna Grace.
Alabama Treasures is Matthew and Anna Grace’s passion project, their mark on the family legacy.
“We’ve been working six days a week for eight to 12 weeks,” Matthew said.
The speedy timeline was an effort to get in on as much of the holiday shopping season as they could.
“We ran a sale for about three weeks, a ‘make an offer’ sale, and I don’t know that we turned any down but maybe one,” he said.
Three truckloads of remaining items were then hauled off to officially clear the space for renovations.
“The second step was getting this terrible drop ceiling down and painting while all along the way recruiting artists,” Matthew said.
Anna Grace took the lead in renovating the space, putting up walls and creating a light and homey feel representative of the store’s spirit.
“My job was to recruit the artists,” Matthew said. He relied on the keen eye of Tricia’s Treasures staff member and artist Trent Farrow, who grew up with Anna Grace and her sister, Reagan.
When works arrived for the gallery, Matthew and Anna Grace would pick out what they liked but ultimately deferred to Farrow’s final judgement.
Their goals for the space were to feature a wide variety of great artwork in a relaxing environment.
“We want it to be fun, just like downstairs,” he said. “It’s not stuffy but we have great stuff. You can come in here if you are a connoisseur of fine furniture or not and feel just as at home.”
The hunt for artists was an organic experience. Matthew said he did take to social media to reach out to a few artists he liked who followed the store. Artists would suggest some of their friends in the business. He also got advice straight from his audience, with loyal customers identifying some of their favorite local artists.
Anna Grace said their first goal was to get about 10 artists, which was easily done so they extended it to 20.
“I think we said we can start with 10 and we’ll have 100 paintings, but now we have over 270 upstairs and then we have some gifts downstairs,” Matthew said.
Learning Along the Way
Alabama Treasures is not only a labor of love, it also was a learning experience for Matthew and Anna Grace, an opportunity to broaden their knowledge about art sales.
While the store has consistently sold artwork, that art was antique and didn’t require an extensive knowledge of art sales.
“I used to see a piece of art and think if I liked it, I liked it,” Anna Grace said. “Now I can really see the technique behind it. I’ve also learned how long some pieces of art take and how short of an amount of time others take.”
She’s also been surprised by the range of styles showcased by each individual artist.
Gallery and art sales have their own terminology and etiquette, according to Anna Grace, which they had to learn. For example, pieces that aren’t on gallery-wrapped canvas should be framed before being hung.
Matthew noted that they had to learn how to display art properly. Luckily, they had help from a customer who came in on a Saturday and bought a few things.
“I was loading up her van and I asked if she was a dealer and she said, ‘Well, I have an art gallery in Tupelo, Mississippi. All we do is Mississippi art,’” he said. “We jumped in the car the next Monday and did a quick road trip and spent time with her.”
Through Kim Caron of the Caron Gallery, Matthew and Anna Grace were able to glean professional advice from a successful gallery that matched their own vision for the homey feel they hoped to create at Alabama Treasures.
“She took a lot of time with us, and I’ve stayed in contact with her so I can ask some simple questions,” Matthew said.
They were also connected to a new artist through Caron, one who was born in Mississippi but had since moved to Mountain Brook.
Keeping It Local
Focusing on Alabama artists was important to the family not only as small business owners but as family and friends to other artists.
“I’ve always loved small businesses and have tried to go out of my way to support them, even before I started working here,” Anna Grace said. “My grandmother has had this business for almost 41 years.”
Her desire to help other small business owners succeed only increased as the pandemic set in and she began seeing local stores shut down at an alarming pace.
“The reason artists want to be in a gallery, I think, is that they want to paint and they don’t want to do the marketing or the bookwork that comes along with sales,” Matthew said. Alabama Treasures staff is responsible for the bookwork and making the sales, providing what Matthew and Anna Grace consider a “good” commission to the artists.
“I think that’s going to be one of the secrets to our success, how well we manage the back room for them,” he added.
The gallery is also a space to create a more accessible art buying experience and expose shoppers to things they may have never seen before.
Walls feature works by artist who range from their mid-80s to early 20s, mixing well-established artists to newcomers breaking into the scene who are still finding their style.
“My sister and Trent are both artists,” Anna Grace said. “I’ve grown up with both of them and have thought if I need art I’ll go to them, because I always thought local art was kind of untouchable.” She found the experience at a typical museum-style gallery to be intimidating.
At a soft opening for decorators held Dec. 7, they received rave reviews about the homey feeling established in the space.
While it has been a process filled with long hours and long weeks, Anna Grace and Matthew said they are just as excited now as they had been to put their mark on the family business while providing a space that supports creators and a new experience for customers.
For more information, visit triciastreasures.us.