Prizm Designs opened in April, saw a spurt of business and is again increasing awareness for their business by joining the Orion Area Chamber of Commerce.
To complete the deal, the OACC set up a ribbon cutting Oct. 5 to celebrate the business, which has a new batch of artists contributing their works, in addition to their original roster. Co-owner Lisa Martin said the ribbon-cutting was a chance to really get the name out.
‘We never really got a chance to advertise so what we had before was really kind of a soft opening,? she said. ‘We are now part of the OACC, so we decided to start advertising now that we’ve worked out most of the kinks. We gave it a few months and now we’re here – this is the grand opening.?
Prizm Designs, which The Review previously reported on in April, is a consignment and art gallery. Those that create art can ask Martin to appraise the piece for consignment. If she believes the piece is valuable, a price will be set with the proceeds split once its sold, based on an agreement. Antiques also are for sale.
A portion of the gallery is set aside for local artists, two of which were present at the ribbon-cutting.
‘We now have Mary Lou Baker who does watercolor and Spencer Ferro who does blown ceramic,? said Martin. ‘Ferro is a student at Lake Orion High School who has blown ceramic and glass work since he was young.
‘We also have picked up a couple of new jewelry artists.?
Ferro began blowing glass after seeing a piece at a silent auction run by his mom. After searching, he finally found Michigan Hot Glass at Russel Industrial Center in Detroit in fall 2009.
He continues to go there every Saturday to create his pieces of art.
‘Blowing glass is pretty hard because the stuff reaches 2,500 F – hotter than lava,? said Ferro. ‘The key is to keep the glass rotating. Once you get it down from there it’s pretty easy to make anything.?
Ferros work has sold for as high as $700 and he’s sold six pieces at Prizm alone. He also shows his work at select art shows. He buys most of his supplies online, which saves quite a bit of money.
The gallery is open on Tuesday from 12- 6 p.m.; Wednesday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Thursday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; and Saturday from10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The store is closed on Sunday and Monday. Extended hours exist for holiday shoppers.
Prizm Designs can be contacted at 810- 618-6251 or online at prizmdesign.com.