2 days Ago By By O'Dell Isaac [email protected]
When Emily and Clay Ross cut the ceremonial ribbon on Thursday, signifying that Yobel, an eco-friendly boutique store, and The Look Up Gallery were back in business, it was more than a reopening, Mayor Yemi Mobolade said. “The story you’re telling today is a story of rebirth,” Mobolade said. “(It’s) the story of the phoenix being burned, but also coming back to life.
This is a fantastic example of what it looks like to be reborn in a better and stronger way.” The mayor was referring to the mythological bird that rose from the ashes of its predecessor, and the analogy was an apt one. In December 2023, a kitchen fire from a business in the Majestic building on Bijou Street became a three-alarm blaze, forcing several businesses in the historic building to close, either temporarily or permanently.
“Thankfully, the firefighters were able to contain the flames so they didn’t spread outside of the restaurant where it started,” co-owner Emily Ross said. When the owners were able to return to the store and gallery, “everything kind of looked OK at first,” she said. But smoke and soot had damaged the inventory beyond repair.
“Everything we had — the art collections, my husband’s art studio and all the clothing — was a complete loss,” she said. Thus began the search for a new venue with enough space to house the clothing store and the art gallery. Remaining in the downtown area was “non-negotiable,” she said.
She compared their search for a new space to the quest of the fairy tale character Goldilocks, who searched the three bears’ home for porridge that was just the right temperature, and a bed that was neither too hard nor too soft. “This one was too small, that one wasn’t in the right location,” she said. “Or the ceiling was too low to accommodate the gallery.
” Finally, in October, after looking at nearly two dozen venues, they found the right spot at 517 S. Cascade Ave., Suite E, on the Trolley Block.
“We walked into this space in October, and we knew it was the one,” she said. “It lets us do everything we’ve always hoped for. The 23rd time was the charm.
” The renovation and expansion was funded, in part, by the state’s Community Business Preservation Program. Established in 2023, the program provides grants to culturally significant businesses that are facing “displacement issues,” according to Colorado.gov .
The larger space allows the Rosses to expand both their retail business and their creative space, they said. The gallery features seven artist studios (six for public rentals and one for artist Clay Ross) as well as 18 wall spaces in its member gallery. According to the couple, the plan had always been to expand the gallery and the retail store.
“We wanted a place where we could highlight local art and global artisans, so we can tell wonderful stories,” Clay Ross said. “We had been working at it for a couple of years, but we thought the game might be over after the fire.” Local artist Bonnie Anthony said the gallery’s return could give the Colorado Springs art scene a shot in the arm.
“Moving to this side of the Springs, where there were no galleries, will be interesting,” Anthony said. “Clay and Emily are gems of the Springs, and of the art community. They are filling a gap, and it will be interesting to see what that brings.
” For the Rosses, the reopening also means a return to First Fridays, a downtown celebration featuring new art, live music and other events on the first Friday of each month. “We just love our art community,” Emily Ross said. “We already love our neighbors, and we love this new space.
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