Two years.
Two Years.
In June of 2024, on the last weekend of the month, The Meadows Gallery & Studios opened our doors at 10am on a Friday. Two years ago today.
Two years of arts, crafts, creativity, community. Two years of learning, growth, frustration, excitement, grit, and exhaustion. Two years of motivation, sweetness, and love. Two years of walking alongside this little shop and watching it become something.
I remember a day in March of 2025 — deep in the quiet of late winter — when I came into the shop and it had legs. It had a new feeling, its own spirit, its own flavor. It had become its own thing. It's been an honor to walk alongside that becoming.
People walk in and tell me it smells good in here. They tell me they're grateful for a shop like this in Ely. They tell me The Meadows adds something to this town. Some people try to figure out what the smell actually is. Most people don't. They just feel it.
In an era of internet addiction, instant delivery, mass production, fast fashion, and low-quality everything — it is genuinely radical to make things slowly. Carefully. With intention and love. The makers whose work lives in this shop are people actively engaged in making the world better. The people who shop here see that. They slow down. They look. They recognize the time, skill, and care it takes to create something real. The Meadows is an antidote.
I've had the honor of watching artists evolve — seeing their work before and after pursuing creative education, workshops, and intensives. The new concepts, skills, and expression that emerge from that investment? It's a gift to witness, and a gift to share.
We've partnered with the Ely Folk School for community events, including an open mic on the summer solstice where people shared music, poetry, and more. We've partnered with Northern Lakes Arts Association for the Creative Spirit of the North Award. We've hosted Rachael Pace and Jane Dandron-Holtz as resident artists — people who work in the studios, lead community workshops, share their work, and invest deeply in their craft.
The highest praise The Meadows receives is simply: "It feels good in here."
I think about that a lot. What does it mean for a place to feel good? It's the integrity of the work on the walls and shelves. It's the growth mindset of the people using the studios. It's the visitors and community members who stop in and recognize something worth slowing down for. And it's the bones of the building itself — the structural and design renovation that John Scully brought to life here, turning this space into what The Meadows has become. That craftsmanship is part of what you feel when you walk in.
As for where we're headed: we just got a new roof — one of the final pieces of a complete building renovation. We're planning new exterior siding too. Investing in this building in downtown Ely is something I'm proud of. I also recently founded the Downtown Ely Business Group and launched Night Owl Thursdays, a monthly late-shopping event that brings our retail community together. We all do better when we all do better.
We'll keep leaning into community events, art shows, and special exhibitions. We'll keep supporting the studios and the artists who pour themselves into their work. We'll keep showing up as an antidote to internet culture — choosing presence, craft, community, and care.
I've learned so much. I’d like to invite you to keep showing up. Shop with intention. Invest in your community culture. We're here, we're growing, and we want you to be a part of it!
Thank you for being part of this journey.
With love,
Abby
