Hummingbird Art Boutique Shifting to New Ownership, Name

A year after opening their handmade art boutique on North Oakland Avenue, co-owner Leslie Phillips says she'll be turning the shop over to new ownership on March 1.

Phillips said she and co-owner Leslie Spencer weren't able to gain any momentum with Hummingbird Art Boutique, never turning a profit with the store. They saw a big push initially, but business slowing died down. Phillips wants to be able to focus more on her art rather than running the store.

"We weren't losing money, but we didn't once cut ourselves a check," she said. "We were basically able to maintain the shop.

"I want to be able to travel and sell my art, rather than sit around the shop for $0 an hour."

The store will close on Feb. 28, allowing Phillips and Spencer to move out, and re-open on March 15 under local artist Steph Davies' direction and under the new name: The Waxwing. Davies will hold a grand opening party on March 16, from 6 to 9 p.m.

Davies will keep to the store's current theme relatively the same, with the shop's artwork created by local artists, and when possible, made from refurbished or recycled materials. The work is sold on a consignment basis, allowing artists to set their own prices.

Phillips said about 50 percent of the artists currently displaying their work on the shop's walls will stay, but Davies will shift the store into her personal art studio.

"...The Waxwing is to provide a space for artists to sell and display their work and to provide the community with a place to shop locally and find unique one-of-a-kind products made by artists in their town," Davies' website says.

She will also host art workshops "in an effort to feed more creativity into the community."

Turning over the store will allow Phillips to travel to different shows and sell her work, which is what she says she envisioned with Hummingbird, she said. A lot of her art will remain on the walls in the shop, Phillips added.