If you have ever set foot into Lil’ Gypsy, you know that art and vintage abounds there. Now, thanks to a keen artist who used fun as her inspiration, a mural will depict the flair of the store. Sam Hart, owner of the costume and clothing store, wanted to do something with the tired alley-facing private side of the building.
Hart’s motivation to commission an artist to paint the semi-hidden side of her building was that Broadway is starting to shine. “All of a sudden everything in my neighborhood is starting to wake up. It took 22 years to make it happen. I was at the edge of town for 10 or 12 years. Now I am part of what is happening, and I love it. I have never looked out my front door and seen humans walking by. Now I have foot traffic and people are walking by holding cups of coffee,” Hart says.
Hart created the shop because it was the place she wanted to shop in. “It has just always been my passion. I love it,” she says.
Hart put a call for artists on Craigslist and used Facebook. About 18 artists submitted work. Facebook friends picked their favorites, and a selection of community members and artists gave their input on the submitted work. Hart made the final selection. “The wall is about 11 feet by 30 feet, so it is a big space, but it is a private alley, with no vehicle or pedestrian traffic. I think the mural will reflect the kindred spirit of the community,” she says.
The young Eugene artist that was chosen, Sarah Richards, had never been into Lil’ Gypsy but her design captured the essence of the store. “I got my ideas by looking at the pictures online of the shop. I got the feel of the store and took it from there,” says Richards. “I focused on the colors that I saw and the eras that I saw. I wanted the femininity of the shop and its playfulness to come out.”
The mural is vintage-inspired with a girl on a big-wheeled tricycle and feathers, with a big chest of clothes. A whimsical butterfly flutters through the scene.
This will be Richards’ first exterior mural, but she is studying fine arts at the University of Oregon. “I am excited about it; my sister is going to help. It is a really big space, but we will put on some music and paint away.”
When Richards did visit the store to meet Hart, she found fun. “I am sure excited to be chosen; I tried very hard.” A few more hats and fun things will be added to the mural inspired by the visit. “It is so hard to find good vintage boutiques, and there is so much to look at,” she says.
Hart is glad that she gets to be the one to give an artist her chance. She says, “It’s great for her to have an opportunity. Fashion is art, and this was an opportunity to play dress-up. Art is joy, and so are the things in my shop.”
