Lulalyn Offers Unique Concept

- by Peggy Rowland

Entering Lulalyn Gallery, Gifts and Interiors is like walking into an eclectic art lover’s home, except guests are encouraged to stroll around and leave with a unique gift for someone special, a perfect accent piece or even original art off the wall.

Many of the items inside Lulalyn, located at 1859 Madison beside Fino’s, are as original as the name itself. Lulalyn is an art gallery dedicated to showing the work of local and regional artists, but it’s also a place to shop for uncommon gifts and interior items. It’s easy to imagine the art in someone’s home, as the walls in Lulalyn are painted in popular home interior colors - a warm and inviting red to the left, a calming khaki to the right on the featured artist’s wall and an enticing mocha shade on the rear wall.

Kevin Mitchell and Ralph Dixon, owners of Lulalyn, had been discussing opening a gallery and interiors shop for more than five years. According to Mitchell, it was time to just do it, or stop talking about it.

With a passion for art and a desire to provide a Midtown venue for local artists, they finally made the gallery a reality and held a successful grand opening on September 9. The gallery was full of guests for most of the four hour opening reception, Dixon says, and four pieces of art were sold.

At Lulalyn, art will be priority. The gallery will help local artists get seen, whether they are up-and-coming or established.

“I love the Trolley Tour Downtown,” says Mitchell. “I’ve shown there for years, but being a graduate of the [Memphis] College of Art and a Midtowner, I’d like to see art represented here in Midtown as well. There’s room for everyone.”

In choosing work for the gallery, Mitchell is looking for “artistic passion in whatever means they [the artists] choose to express it.” He believes that good art comes from artists who enjoy their work. “That usually comes through in the pieces,” says Mitchell.

The opening show included work from five area artists: paintings from Michael Ethridge, ceramics from Jean Handley, photography from Peter Barta, fiber art from Janna Bernstein and paintings from Kevin Mitchell.

The gallery owners plan on featuring the work of a different artist each month. Ceramic artist Jean Handley, who moved to Memphis from New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, will have her own show, “Fusion,” with an opening reception at Lulalyn on November 3. Handley’s raku pieces will include wall sculpture as well as smaller pieces that can be shown on tables. Handley describes her work as very free form, non-traditional and exploratory. Since moving to Memphis, Handley believes the local art community has given her much support and shown excitement about her work.

“If I had to lose everything, Memphis is a good place to get blown into,” says Handley.

Along with their dedication to showing the work of local artists like Handley, the gallery owners also have a habit of searching out unusual items not easily found in other local shops. It’s a passion second only to art – discovering things like handmade soaps from Hawaii to a line of dips from a small company in Arkansas. Dixon says the dips and soap have been the most popular products so far.

Lulalyn also offers hand-poured soy candles that are exclusive to the shop, as well as serving platters, bowls, decorative boxes and greeting cards. Mitchell and Dixon believe the gallery and shop has something for everyone, “from interior decorators to art collectors to the lady on her lunch break who needs a special gift for the party at the office that she forgot about.”

In addition to art and gifts, visitors can also expect to find interior items like lighting, small furniture and accent pieces at the 1,000-square-foot Lulalyn. “With our furnishings, we are targeting a Midtown group. Since many apartments and refurbished older homes have small nooks and tight corners, finding stylish furnishings can be a challenge,” explains Mitchell.

Lulalyn derives its name from Dixon’s late mother Lula May Dixon and Mitchell’s late sister Debbie Lynn Mitchell. Dixon and Mitchell like the sense of playfulness in the name Lulalyn. They hope the gallery measures up to its name.

Lulalyn will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. Artists wanting to show their work may stop by during business hours or call the gallery at 901-278-0111. For information about shows and events, visit www.lulalyn.com.