“Not a Crazy Dream”

Headquarters Galerie + Boutique Closes Its Doors, Opens Others

Fringe ArtsLaura Beeston — Published January 11, 2011

Angie Johnson and Tyson Bodnarchuk, the transplanted Winnipeg duo who run the hybrid space a stone’s throw from The Village, started HQ in June 2006 to showcase handmade designs and create a hub for like-minded makers in Montreal to show and sell.

“Starving” for a collaborative, artistic community they couldn’t find in Winnipeg, the two said they moved to Montreal during an influx in the greater DIY crafting movement in Canada, and starting HQ was part of “riding this wave.”

“It really worked out,” said Johnson. “What we were trying to do was make a headquarters, a network, and now we’ve got it.”

Collaborating with well over 200 artists over the years, HQ quickly became the place to go to find that one-of-a-kind print, gift, ‘zine or signature piece, while also offering an opportunity to take in new exhibitions each month in the gallery on the lower level of the shop.

“Looking back now, I feel like we were super naïve about opening a store and running a gallery […] we didn’t know about so many things,” Johnson continued. “Physically doing it is such a crazy amount of work, organization and requires so much energy to stay excited. It’s really hard and people don’t think about all the little things that go into it.

Retail is tough, […] but we had a lot of nerve.”

“It was 100 per cent worth it,” chimed in Bodnarchuk. “One of the greatest things about the store is how much I’ve learned through the artists I’ve met and collaborated with. The influences artists have on each other—you can see it!

Everyone’s feeding off each other, playing with each other. [Collaboration] really forces you to think about how you’re working.”

“That was probably the best part of having the store,” Johnson added, “it was like a key to meeting all these amazing people and the best excuse to talk to and organize with other independent artists and designers. We wanted to help each other.”
Though the pair said they feel bittersweet about the loss of HQ as a specific space, the fact that the independent, DIY scene in Montreal has evolved so much over the last few years—influenced, in part, by the Internet and sites like Etsy that allow artists to sell their own wares online—makes the duo feel optimistic about the future.

“When we started doing this, we were often the only venue where our designers were selling,” explained Bodnarchuk.

“But now, all of them are pushing their own websites instead of telling people to come and visit a store, and we totally understand that change.”

“That’s part of the reason why we’re not as enamored as we were with the idea of having an actual store,” added Johnson. “It’s not as exciting anymore. I’m more interested in online selling and the possibilities there, or creating an event over a weekend—it makes it a little more special.

“Besides,” she said, “people love to meet and speak with the designers. And this way, designers get to hold onto more money as well, instead of us having to put a portion of their profit into bills for the store, or giving it to some dude who owns the building.”

Though HQ may be closing, there’s no doubt the craft circuit and collaboration will continue. In December, Johnson and Bodnarchuk completed their second successful Smart Design Mart—a three-day arts & crafts sale.

“[We plan] to turn the Smart Mart concept into mini-marts, like an art mart, a fashion mart, a vintage mart, a nerd-mart—these kind of pop-up places for art,” Johnson explained. “It’s going to be Headquarters in an event format. So you can’t just pop by [the store] anytime, but we’re going to be around—doing the same kind of stuff in a different form.”

Besides keeping the crafty community connected, Johnson and Bodnarchuk are also truly looking forward to the “free brain space” to work on their own projects, instead of worrying about the day-to-day “crazy retail things” that running a store requires.

Johnson will continue working full-time on her clothing and jewelry line—the celebrated Norwegian Wood—and Bodnarchuk looks forward to finally having some time off to create books and art, while developing his own Etsy shop.

He also plans to put his energy into curating a couple of art shows in the New Year.

If making a successful business from the ground up has taught them anything, it’s that doing what you love full-time is “totally doable, totally possible and that people are doing it together.”

“I think a lot of people have realized, because of this store, that it’s not a crazy dream—but you have to know what you want in your life,” said Johnson. “We want a quality of life where we spend it working on stuff, and with people we believe in.”

The last Hq Galerie + Boutique Vernissage “BFF” will take place this Friday, Jan 14 from 6:00 to 11:00 p.m at 1649 Amherst St. The Galerie will feature over 50 local and international artists in a group exhibition, and DJ Garry Vickers will keep the room spinning. Entrance is free.

This article originally appeared in Volume 31, Issue 18, published January 11, 2011.