When Cheap Joe’s Art Stuff announced the closure of all three of its art supply shops in North Carolina last month, local artists were heartbroken.
But then in a twist this week, the store announced that a local – and for now, unnamed – company plans to buy the space and continue to sell art supplies.
Joseph Miller, the owner of Cheap Joe’s, told BPR that his company has “entered into a contract” with a local company that will continue to operate the supply shop at the Riverside Drive location, which is situated between the River Arts District and UNC Asheville. His company made the decision to close due to “economic challenges,” he said.
Miller declined to provide the name of the new company, but he said that it would likely be announced next week.
“I'm very pleased that Asheville will continue to have a very solid art supply store owned by people who are very passionate,” Miller said.
The store is known for offering a broad range of supplies that range from affordable to high-end. There are towering shelves stuffed with paint tubes, pastels, canvases, brushes, charcoal, fabric paint, frames and sketch paper of all different colors and textures.
Sarah Rowan, an art student at UNC Asheville, said she stops by once a month at least as a way to stay inspired. When BPR chatted with her at the store on Tuesday, she was searching for a sketchbook with the perfect texture.
“You don't know what you're getting with a sketchbook when you can't feel the paper and see the color and the tooth, you know,” she said. “What I like here is you can come and you can get the basic or you can get the really high quality. Depending on what type of artist you are, you know, do you need the Prisma colors or do you just want something a little cheaper?”
Reuben Negron, who makes watercolor paintings and charcoal drawings, said he is cautiously optimistic for the next chapter of Cheap Joe’s.
“I'm thankful and curious and I hope it works out,” he said. “I know that running a business like that isn't easy. I'm sure that margins are narrow, but I hope that whoever takes it over, it's super successful.”
Though Asheville is a place known and loved for its creativity, surprisingly, the shop is the only place in town that offers serious art supplies that go beyond hobbyist quality, he explained.
Negron, an Asheville resident for more than a decade, teaches art classes at the university. He vividly remembers when Cheap Joe’s opened back in 2015.
“It was like the clouds parted and the sun shone through. And it was like, oh finally, hallelujah,” he recalled. “We actually have an art store where you can go and touch the paper. You can hold the brushes in your hand and look at the way that they're made and pick the right one for you.”
The shop plays an important role in the creative process, he continued.
“Your initial reason for walking into the store could lead to a spark of inspiration that takes you on a journey somewhere else,” he said. “Especially post-Helene, I think that it's important for people to get out to the store, to walk down the aisles, to touch things, to look at the different colors, to see the variety, to look at the sizes, to look at the textures, the smells, the tactile feel of the objects themselves. And to make their purchases locally.”
Shelley DeBlase, a part-time clerk at Cheap Joe’s, said she is grateful to keep her job, but she is even more relieved that Asheville won’t lose its only art supply store.
“It was going to cause a big void,” DeBlase, a lifelong painter, said. “It's really, really important to have it in a town full of artists. So we're really happy that somebody decided to buy it.”
Cheap Joe’s Asheville location will continue operating under its current ownership for around a few more months, until it sells out its inventory, Miller said. He said the company will announce more details about the new owner soon.
