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Non-profit shop in Riondel showcasing Kootenay Lake East Shore artisans

Circle of Friends Artisan Shoppe offers paintings, fabric, soap, stone work, jewelry and more hosting grand opening June 29...
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(Above) Art by Wallace Adkins. (Below) Soap from Lorrie Rhead; art by Dena Kubota; candleholder by Bill Nicolson; bag by Nancy Galloway.

A new venue is showcasing the work of artisans, authors and musicians from Kootenay Lake’s East Shore — the Circle of Friends Artisan Shoppe, which is celebrating its grand opening from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. June 29. A samba band and clowns are part of the event, but the main focus is on the art.

About two dozen artists are featured in the shop, with products including paintings, fabric, soap, musicians’ CDs and books. With all those products in one place, it offers their creators a change from focusing on a schedule of craft fairs.

“Most of us have been geared toward those,” said Beth Alguire, a glass artist who is one of the shop’s co-ordinators.

Circle of Friends is located at 235 Fowler St.— take a left just before the fire hall, then an immediate right — in a former Teck Resources Ltd. clinic, now owned by the Regional District of Central Kootenay (RDCK). It previously housed the community health clinic before that moved to Crawford Bay about 10 years ago, and has been used sporadically since.

“It has such a gorgeous view,” said Alguire.

The shop is a non-profit venture, run by Riondel Parks, Recreation and Community Service Society, and created with an RDCK Area A economic development grant. Artisans displaying their work pay a $25 membership fee or volunteer 10 hours, but they’re not the only ones interested in Circle of Friends — getting the shop ready for its May long weekend soft opening was a true community effort.

“We had people down here every day painting,” said Alguire. “We’ve had help from people who don’t have anything in the shop. They just want to be a part of it.”

“It’s a piece of the community,” added co-ordinator Sherrie Sutcliffe. “That has come through loud and clear. ... You don’t get the support if they don’t see it’s worthwhile.”

Everything at Circle of Friends has to be handcrafted, and includes restored furnishings, as well as garden sculptures, jewelry and mosaics.

Visitors can also enjoy coffee, teas and wholesome goodies, such as scones and muffins, supplied by Bob’s Bar and Grill. The co-ordinators hope to eventually have a gazebo outside to allow people to enjoy the scenery with their snacks, or simply hang out while someone else is shopping.

“Part of our goal is that we be a family place,” said Alguire.

Simply put, they want it to be a place for everyone, and calling it a shop rather than a gallery was a step in that direction.

“With ‘gallery’ people think higher-end,” said Sutcliffe. “We wanted it to be everything.”

It’s precisely the sort of place she looks for when she travels — all of Sutcliffe’s travel mementos are always local art.

“So I saw all the stuff here but nobody else saw it,” she said.

Circle of Friends will be open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday in June and September, and seven days a week in July and August. While any profit (a portion is taken from each sale) will initially go back into the shop itself, the co-ordinators hope that its success will allow it to support other community projects. Each of Riondel’s six parks, for example, could use benches.

“People do like to walk, but every once in a while, they like to stop and sit,” said Sutcliffe.

Perhaps more importantly, it will allow East Shore artisans without galleries a chance to make some extra income from their work, helping to battle rural chronic unemployment.

“A lot of people do things for recreation, but they need money to pay for supplies,” said Sutcliffe.

“There’s never been a place that can showcase that,” said Alguire.