Meet Michele Lambert of Nashville

Today we’d like to introduce you to Michele Lambert.

Hi Michele, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Becca Ganick and Michele Lambert first met as teaching artists. After years of working through Watkins College of Art and Design, Cheekwood, and the Frist Art Museum, opportunity became available to open their own brick and mortar shop at Nashville’s historic Loveless Cafe in 2005.
Becca is a potter, Michele is primarily a painter, and together they represent approximately 40 local artists. Shimai Gallery of Contemporary Craft is an intimate little jewel box filled with handcrafted jewelry, textiles, stained glass, paintings, books, lighting, and herb-infused candles, bath salts, teas and tinctures. We know all of our participating artists personally and love each other like family. Our youngest participating artist is 16 and we love that our elder potter is 91 years old.
In addition to offering 7 days a week of craft fair favorites, artists often offer workshop classes and demonstrations for visitors. We love making connections with the community through sharing stories and practicing the appreciation of handmade.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Of course, navigating our way through the pandemic was tricky. All of us felt the sting of losing income as craft fairs and retail businesses couldn’t operate as usual.
Artists are resourceful, though, and we know how to live on a shoestring budget when necessary. We used our creative backgrounds to come up with small pop-up shows and utilized every free avenue of marketing in order to stay connected with our clientele.
We ship our products all over the country and our loyal fan base kept us going. The support was enough to carry us through. Even though the world has changed into an order online type of shopping style, people still love walking through our door and browsing, handling items, having conversation, sharing stories… It’s a very personal atmosphere.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
At Shimai we specialize in fine handcrafted artforms.
Starting with pottery, paintings and jewelry in 2005, we’ve grown to be known as the primary source for one-of-a-kind clothing, kitchen supplies, lighting and stained glass windows. Each of our artists also offer custom services.
Even after being open for 20 years (September marks our 20th year at the Loveless Cafe), we’re still told there’s nothing else like our shop in Nashville. Visitors from other states enjoy making purchases from middle Tennessee locals, and our loyal locals love getting to know our artists personally.

What does success mean to you?
(Big smile and sigh)…For us, “Success” means that we get to carry out our visions of creativity and kindness without compromise….that we get away with being who we are while making a living…making a life that allows for discovery and continual growth, and then passing our disciplines on to next generations. Success is living authentically and with purpose, with heart…money has a way of finding us if we’re doing what we’re best at.

Pricing:

• $6.00 – $3,000.00

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @shimaigallery
• Facebook: Shimai, Gallery of Contemporary Craft