That was the other thing about a small town: everything was close, yet the rhythm and theme of a business district changed from step to step.Hollowville’s was slightly bigger than most, and Naomi felt she needed to quickly make the switch from relaxed tourist to experienced professional.
“You ready?”
He nodded.
Of course, Naomi wasn’t sure what to expect from a gallery in Hollowville; the personality of the town was very specific, drawn to restaurants and antiques and nail salons, not as many galleries, unlike Briarwood where she’d grown up.
But unlike what she’d expected, research told Naomi that the Hollowville art gallery had, in fact, not only survived, but more importantly had thrived.And as she entered the building, she realized why.The bright entranceway that caught the light from the outside, how the internal and external architecture matched with the architecture of the town in a way that permitted the space to simultaneously fit in and stand out.
To put it simply, the gallery was a work of art.
“Good evening,” said an older woman with the greenest eyes Naomi had ever seen.“Welcome to the space.Molly Concannon.And you are?”
“Naomi Nachman,” she said, gesturing toward Jason.“This is Jason Greenblatt.”
“Nice to meet you both,” the older woman said.“You know you’re early for the show?”
Naomi nodded.“I know,” she said.“But I think we’re supposed to be meeting Tom.”
“Oh right,” she said, heading toward a random table that had been placed in the middle of the gallery.“He said something about two people coming early.He ran out for a coffee; he’ll be right back if you want to wait?”
“Waiting isn’t a problem, especially because I’ve been meaning to come for a while, but I haven’t had the chance until now.”
“Aah yes.Operating from those mistaken ideas about small towns, probably perpetrated by those HeartPix movies so many people watch.”
“Those movies wouldn’t know what to do if they visited the small town she’s from,” Jason replied.
Jason was right.Briarwood and its ‘more galleries than people’ attitude toward art was…special.And yet the last thing she wanted to do was insert the name ‘Briarwood’ into a conversation with the gallery owner; they’d be talking for a year about preconceived notions and different galleries, which was good and which wasn’t, whether the conversation was good or bad.
Either way, Naomi wasn’t there to have a conversation about Briarwood.She’d come to have, a wonderful night, looking at a photography exhibit as well as speaking to the photographer.Which meant she needed to nip the conversation in the bud.“I’m just glad to be here,” she said before getting a sudden flash of inspiration.“While we’re waiting, if you have time?”
Molly raised an eyebrow as did Jason.“Yes?”
“Can you tell me how you got the idea to open the gallery?”
And like Naomi had hoped, if not predicted, Molly’s eyes lit up.Entrepreneurs, especially people who did what they thought was unexpected, had stories to tell.And not only did Naomi want to know the story, she figured as Jason was becoming clearer about what he wanted to do, listening to someone who broke the mold would help.
Of course, as Molly continued to tell the story about how the gallery had started; the way she’d found a community in Hollowville all those years before despite everything she herself had expected, Jason’s eyes widened.He was inspired, and she loved seeing him like this.
“But the fantastic part of this is that the person exhibiting tonight was actually one of my earlier shows quite a few years ago.A sculptor brought all of his friends, and the photographer was one of them.He loved the gallery so much that he’s been back a few times.But this one is special.”
“How so?”
“A few years ago,” she began, “after his first exhibition, he and his friends were discussing a few things, and he, very quietly, started a photography class at one of the local schools.This exhibit is a few of his rarer pieces, with the proceeds being to fund the purchase of some photography equipment.”
“That’s wonderful,” Jason said, clearly impressed and even more excited than Naomi had expected.“I’m impressed.”
“As impressed as I was when I heard you were coming?”
Naomi turned to see a tall guy with dark curls and sparkling brown eyes.“Tom Walker,” he said.
“Nice to meet you,” she said.“Naomi Nachman.”
“Jason Greenblatt…”
“Right,” he said.“You play poker with Samuel?”
Naomi laughed.“What is it with these poker games?”
