We currently represent over forty artists. For those we represent, we pay promptly at the beginning of every month for the prior month's entire sales. We give a detailed report of each item that sold each month and an updated inventory monthly. We strive to make it easy for artists who are busy making their creative work to restock and replenish us on a regular basis. We make every effort to be as organized and efficient as possible.
For artists who send us packaged prints and pay for shipping, we deal them 50% of sales. With artists who send us things that require our attention or resources, we deal in 40/60 consignment. This may include but is not limited to prints that are shipped to us that aren’t sleeved and packaged with backing board. And this may be ideal for some artists, we certainly have no problem doing that for you.
We also promote your business, social media presence, and website. We’re not looking to take sales away from your online presence, we strive to encourage them.
What You Can Send Us
For art prints we generally suggest you start out with sending us a variety of 5-10 different images, 5 duplicate copies of each. Pick some of your top sellers - the prints that grab the interest from the widest audience, or ask us what we would think would do well with our clientele. We will set one of each print out on display and when it sells we will restock it with the same print from back stock. After your first paycheck we’ll start considering carrying more of your work. It is of utmost importance that we strive to not run out of any print, unless we are discontinuing a specific piece. Prints that run out quickly will generally be your top sellers. Some artists will send us 5 of each print that sells infrequently, and then sometimes many more of the print that sells often. For instance, one of our artists sells their 8x10 prints for $25. We keep five of each print in stock but with their top selling print they send us 20 of them at a time. In that fashion their sales continue to stay high because we aren’t running out of that top selling print or prints. We also set that top selling artwork in front of your individual print stack, so as to get views and interest on your stack.
Please only send us standard size prints, or check with us first before sending something nonstandard. Keeping mostly standard sized prints helps us to maintain high consignment percentages for our artists because we can sell our frames with each standard sized print. Sizes that we love to carry are:
4x6, 5x5, 5x7, 8x8, 8x10, 9x12, 8.5x11, 11x14, 11x17, 12x12, 12x16, 12x18, 13x19, 16x20, and 18x24.
We can also accept waterproof stickers, enamel pins, and postcards, but please check with us before sending due to limited space for these types of items.
We also really appreciate when you send a packing list in each of your shipments that includes the titles of each print, retail price, and the quantity you are sending. This helps us enter everything into our point of sale accurately and efficiently, as we won’t have to bother you with an email asking these details or search your online presence for the information.
Please note that if you design show posters for bands, we can only take art print versions of those designs and can not accept anything with a band name or date on it.
Sleeves and Backing
We love when artists use these options from clearbags.com:
For sleeves we recommend the Protective Closure Bags from Clearbags. This has the adhesive for the flap in a position where it can’t damage the print as it comes out. The size bag you will need is 7/16” by 1/4” larger than the print. For instance with an 11x14 you would search for a protective closure bag sized 11 7/16” x 14 1/4”, an 8.5x11 would be 8 15/16” x 11 1/4”. You can find the bag you need here: https://www.clearbags.com/bags/clear-bags/pc
For the backing, we like the Clearbags 4-ply black mat board for its 100% recycled content and its ability to compost faster than foam-core. It also helps our back stock areas to not have thicker backing such as foam-core’s 1/8” backing. We find that we prefer the aesthetic of the black backing most.
https://www.clearbags.com/mats-backing/board/4-ply-black
Where To Ship (Write this down)
USPS
Bloom
PO Box 437
Thomas, WV 26292
UPS / FedEx
Bloom
230 East Avenue
Thomas, WV 26292
Online Shop Policy
Our online shop features all of our prints, stickers, pins, and postcards. Your work will be made available in this shop. We put a link on every product page that links back to your website so as to drive your sales too.
For website photography, it's been very hard to get photos of some prints due to color issues. So, we ask our artists to send us print files to drag and drop into our art print template. They don’t have to be large files but web ready.
Here are the specs that work very well for us:
- 72 dpi print files
- This is the standard dpi for online images, while 300 is for printing, which we don't need. But we can use whatever you have if that is easier!
- Jpg or png files would be ideal
- Large enough that the print can be zoomed into to see detail.
We don't want to cause you any extra work, so you could also just send whatever you have and we can modify it as needed on our end if that’s easier. Also, please note that no one can right click to download images off of our website.
International Artists
We are also hoping to grow our roster of artists based outside of the United States. For international artists, we will reimburse 50% of the shipping costs on each restock package you send to us. We generally recommend international artists send us artwork that is not sleeved and backed to save on shipping. This will put you into the 50/50 consignment percentage bracket.
Other Things
We may ship things back to you from time to time that aren’t selling well for us. In this case we pay for shipping. This is because we don’t want to deplete our retail space and backstock space with stagnant products. The products that we ship back will have our barcode label on the back of the print that is in the right bottom corner.
We also highly recommend you put a business card or postcard with your information in the back of every print. This enables the client who is buying from you to find your social media presence. We do not put business cards or postcards for each artist out for everyone to grab freely as they would be gone quickly and take up too much space. So we generally suggest artists put their contact info, website address, or social media in the back of each print. If you are going to attach this to the backing board (so that it is visible when the print is turned backwards), we suggest placing this in the bottom left corner or centered, because we put our label stickers on the bottom right corner.
Why Thomas, W.Va
Our town has less than 600 people and is in the middle of a really remote section of the Appalachian Mountains. Thomas is on the map because of tourism. The town is within The Monongahela National Forest and is close to other well-known points of interest such as Blackwater Falls State Park, Dolly Sods Wilderness, and Seneca Rocks. Creative small business owners in the last decade started populating and renovating this old coal-mining town. Our city occupies less than one city block, and within that block we have an upscale coffee shop, music venue, multiple modern galleries, and other creative small businesses. Tourists who frequent the area are predominantly coming from Pittsburgh PA, Washington DC, Virginia, and other areas of West Virginia. Our community and second home owners here also support the galleries and local businesses, making up around 25% of our sales.
Our town was established a little over a hundred years ago by Italian immigrants, and they designed the town after their European origins. We honor their past by keeping these buildings alive and continually progressing the vision of the town.
What Artists Have To Say About Us...
Bloom has been amazing to work with. I was hesitant at first because I hadn't had much luck selling my art anywhere besides conventions, but it has ended up being a wonderful extra source of income for me. Some months I make more through Bloom than I do in my own online shop. I like to send my inventory in bulk to save time, and Bloom takes care of the rest. They're very organized, always get payments on time, suggest new items, give detailed inventory, and answer any questions or concerns I have. I'm truly lucky to have been able to work with them.
- HAYLEE MORICE
Bloom was the first shop I worked with as a part-time artist and I consider them a catalyst for the confidence I needed to take the leap to full-time creative. Every artists should have a shop like Bloom in their corner because they genuinely want you to succeed. You can always rely on the team to pay you on time, pay you well, and communicate in an open and supportive manner
Oftentimes when I'm tabling at vendor events folks will excitedly proclaim they've seen or bought my work at Bloom. That's always a compliment because it's such a lovely space that showcases the underappreciated beauty of Appalachia-what a privilege to be a small part of that.
- NATALIE KOVACS, SHAPELESS FLAME
I work with a lot of shops and galleries and I must say that Bloom consistently remains one of my absolute favorites to do business with. They’re consistent, incredibly organized, and are always timely with their monthly payments. Working with them has honestly helped encourage me to invest more time and effort into my personal work because I know that it will pay off.
On top of all that, Bloom is a very well branded and well laid out space. I go to Thomas pretty frequently and it’s always nice to pop in and say hi or drop off new prints at the gallery. Morgan and his team do a great job promoting and talking about the artists and their work. I get lots of messages from folks saying they picked up one of my prints or saw my work on display while they were in town. Always encouraging and lovely to hear.
- LOGAN SCHMITT
Working with Bloom has been a delight. Their consistent support of my work has allowed me to expand in new and exciting ways, and their kind and attentive outreach has benefited my business as well as myself. I'm so impressed with their roster of artists and honored to be included among them. Bloom is run with a love of art and a goal of supporting artists, and this is clear from the organization, styles selected, and attention to detail in every aspect. I love hearing from customers that discovered my work via Bloom, and this happens so frequently. I love seeing how they've styled my work in the shop as well as their professional photography of my prints and merchandise. Their availability to answer questions and provide supportive feedback is unrivaled, and the kindness with which they share their expertise is generous. It feels like being a part of a community of people with common goals: more art in the world, more support for small, independent artists, and respect for what we do. I would recommend Bloom without hesitation; what they do for artists is truly a special and uncommon thing.
- JESSICA ROUX
As an artist who relies heavily on print sales, it’s been a true privilege to work with Bloom; they have been a real advocate of my work. It’s rare to work with a gallery that is so reliable and efficient with bookkeeping and the longer I’ve been featured there the better my work has done.
I get regular emails from supporters who say they found my work through Bloom which is incredibly heartening given their proximity to me in Central Appalachia. I’m truly grateful for Morgan and the work he’s done to create truly singular art space in the mountains of West Virginia. I look forward to our continued, growing partnership together.
- BRIAN SERWAY
Bloom has done super well since I've had my work there, even throughout the pandemic. I live in Asheville and have never been to the actual gallery (though I look forward to visiting one day, and they have made the process of selling with them long-distance a breeze and a pleasure. I have heard personally from patrons who have visited and they have nothing but great things to say! I look forward to seeing what Morgan & his team do as their business blossoms & grows in the future. I highly recommend becoming a part of their mission!
I’ve worked with quite a few galleries in the past. Each time I put in a lot of effort and got very little in return. When Morgan first approached me I had that in mind. After the first month of having my work available to his customers, it brought in more income than all the other galleries I’ve worked with combined. It was such a pleasant surprise. It’s really great to receive a consistent check each month since then.
I was also lucky enough to have a solo exhibition there with some new paintings I’ve been working on. I’ve never shown my paintings anywhere before Bloom, and had no idea what to expect. The opening was wonderful, and had a big turn out. Even sold half of the show!
Bloom is a beautiful gallery with great people working there.
- ZEB LOVE
Morgan reached out to me to have my work in Bloom in Jan. 2018. So far, my work has consistently sold every month and it is a great added income.
I was relatively new to selling my paintings and prints and it has been great to learn and have the ability to change things as we go along. If I have an idea or need to stop by, Morgan is a great sounding board and is very easily accessible. I have been able to apply things I have learned while working with Bloom to other facets of my business.
I also appreciate that Bloom wants to help market me as an artist to the customer, which helps me sell my work on my Etsy, even in addition to the sales on the Bloom website. I have met people at markets in person where they have mentioned they first saw my work at Bloom.
As an artist, I can’t recommend working with Bloom enough. The experience has been nothing but positive.
- OCTAVIA SPRIGGS
Partnering with Bloom has been one of the best things we have done for our business. We have been working with Bloom for over a year and a half and we have gained tremendous exposure and steady income since our partnership began. Not only is Morgan very organized and reliable, but he is also collaborative and supportive. Along with a check, we receive a detailed list of sales and remaining inventory each month so we are consistently informed. Morgan also shares his insight on packaging, advertising, and any questions you may have about selling your work and representing yourself as an artist. We work with other wholesalers across WV and our partnership with Bloom is by far our most successful in terms of sales and overall experience. We would recommend Bloom to any artist looking to grow!
- BASE CAMP PRINTING
I have nothing but positive remarks about my experience working with Bloom. From the get-go, I felt like Morgan helped pull the best out of me, and that we were truly working together to create the best exhibition possible. He assured me a few months before the show, that it wasn’t about the money, it was about making something awesome. The amount of pressure that lifted off my shoulders was unbelievable, and it gave me so much respect for what Bloom stands for and made me feel right at home.
Preparing for my show, I was nervous about transporting all of my work from TX and AZ. I was a bit worried it wouldn’t work out financially, and did people out east even want art based on the desert? Morgan had a vision without limits. Without his extra push and encouragement, my show would not have been as great as it was. He was extremely open to collaborating and hanging the show together. He was open to my vision, whilst always having his own opinion, but never pushy or controlling. He is extremely open and helpful with business strategies, and engages every customer in an endearing way, never too standoffish nor overbearing.
My solo exhibition at Bloom has been my most successful yet, and they continue to stock my work on a monthly basis. Paychecks are consistent, always on the 8th of the month, and the clarity and book keeping of my inventory at the gallery has been extremely useful and has built up my trust within the gallery. I have had representation from galleries that just send me a check in the mail occasionally, without any documentation of what has sold. Now, having such clear documentation and communication has helped me become more organized as well. I’m so grateful to have my work up in Bloom, and I would strongly recommend this gallery to other artists and makers.
- LANDRY MCMEANS
As a printshop that is juggling an online store, a retail space, and an expanding roster of wholesale clients, it always feels a bit stressful when we add a new stockist. But Bloom has been nothing but a joy to work with. Morgan exceeded all of our expectations, and has quickly became one of our all time favorite clients to work with. Not only because he is an excellent communicator and quick to pay invoices, but because the space is run with such obvious love of art. The enthusiasm and care that Morgan shows in managing the space is evident in every email he sends us. We had the pleasure of visiting the space in person this past fall and were equally impressed by the layout and merchandising in the gallery. Being represented at Bloom is like being welcomed into a family, and we would recommend them without reservation to any artist.
- FENNEC DESIGN