Less than one week and counting to our grand opening at Studio Unknown and  we're crazy busy with all the preparations.  It's so great to see dreams put into reality of an arts venue where anything can happen.  We already have 25 names on the waiting list for our guest art wall.
Ashton Higgins, photographer, will be our first guest artist and i met him when he climber over three second floor balconies in my daughter's apartment complex to let her know I9 was there and waiting.  It was quite a hilarious story, with me yelling up at her to "open up", throwing rocks and keys until he same to the rescue laughing at this old woman making a scene.  Come to find out he and his wife are both artists.  she went to Limestone College and will have a guest wall later this year, and the friend with him on the balcony is also an artist. Who would have thought it three doors away from where I lived for nearly a year. I volunteered to make them a piece of art for thanking him for risking his life, and when they invited me in, they explained they were artists and collected art.
Odd they way the universe has of introducing people!
Don't have photos of his usual take on things yet, but will post it as soon as he sends it along.  He is busy as

can be with framing and getting his show ready.
We're always brainstorming and we've come up with some more ideas events.  there will definitely be poetry readings at the First Friday in may and we plan to have a chess table and poker table set up in the pavilion for those who enjoy a mental challenge. When visitors are not looking at art, listening to poetry or just hanging out at one of our two fire pits, we hope they'll be coming up with ideas for events.  
We did find out from a friend of resident artist, Kevin Anderson, Leroy of Judson mill, that out building was not only the general store to Brandon Mills Plush mill but was also a kickin' pool hall.  Always packed.  So the concept of games fits right in.  In the future, there are plans for night time golf and night time bocchi ball and who knows what else.
It's interesting how these buildings, built circa turn of the century (Brandon Mills was built in 1899) evolved.  the Village Studios I lived in at one time in the Village at West End was at various times a furniture store, a mortuary and a carpet store. (the metal measuring marks are still on the floor in the lower level). There are even rumors it was a brothel, but I haven't found proof on that one yet.
Over time, we're going to learn a lot more about the history of our section of the Textile Center of Greenville.  Up until the late 1970's and 80'sd it was a bustling community with many shops and services offered along Easley Bridge Rd. Hwy 123. Chuck's barber shop was right next door to where Studio Unknown is located and I've yet to find out what was once located two doors down.  A working upholstery shop is still in existence.
The story about the two Clock restaurants side by side is interesting enough, but that's for a later time, - maybe around the fire pit.
About seven hours later...
 Just got this cool info on our Studio unknown art studio/gallery building when I put out a call on the Brandon Mill Facebook Page.
thanks Kojn, Ken and Gary!

• Joan Elizabeth White I will check with my dad, I know about a barber shop somewhere, in that area not sure, but if it is the one I am thinking about dad, may have pictures of the inside of the barber shop not sure my memory shot these days,,,,,,,,,,,,,I know that there was a barber shop on Pendleton once a long time ago, where my oldest got his hair cut, and my youngest got his first hair cut and a week later the guy retired and soon they went out of business.......................

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• Joan Elizabeth White Wishing you Good luck with your Biz

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• Ken Adams $ drug store. On down where Chuck's B

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• Ken Adams OOPS In the coroner building where Hall's Up. shop is there was a drug store. Next door to Chuck's Barber shop there was another barber shop ran by Joe Fulbright. He lived in the large house on West Ave. I remember when he went to $1.25 for a haircut and I thought that was hiway robbery. On down the street there was a pool room but it was hard for a kid get in there. Joe has a brother that does or did cut hair in Dunean. Sorry but no pictures.

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• Gary Huff Tommy Fulbright has the shop in Dunean, I think the building you're asking about was at the Judson crossing.

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Ken Adams Joe Fulbright operated the barber shop at Judson Crossing
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On a Roll with Painting

It's been great to be back in my studio again.  I've finished seven paintings since I started painting again in January and have two half finished.  I'm focusing mainly on figures right now for some reason and using a similar pallette of pthalo blue, Payne's grey, lamp black, zinc white, yellow ochre, light red, vermillion, terra verte and sienna. I'm working with oils on wood surfaces, often using items I find at thrift stores, as well as the cradled wood boxes I used for encaustics. I found that I liked the way oils worked on wood while I was doing my landscape series of encaustics and had some primed and ready to go when I started painting again.  I've been able to finish as piece in a day once in a while working wet on wet but most of the time, it takes two or three sessions with drying time in between, so I can finish one in a week.  Most of them are small, but I found a wooden panel, 31X19 at the new SOS thrift store which just opened right near my house, so I'll be going large.  This will be quite a challenge for me, I've only finished two large canvases 36X24 in the past ten years I've been painting.
This is all in preparation for an invitation to enter a juried show in Columbia, SC in March.  I don't know if I'll finish the big panel in time, but I'll try.  I've got to prime it first so won't get started on the actual painting until Sunday. I'm planning on doing a figure but am not sure what yet. I also have three small panels primed and ready to be painted.  And since I was gifted with a new set of 12 oil paints so I can't delay because of lack of materials.  It's just finding the studio time.
I've updated my website with all of the paintings I did prior to being diagnosed with cancer and plan to photograph all the news ones on Saturday so my site will be up to date.  I've been debating who to proceed in the coming months.  I miss having my work at Les Beaux Arts and miss the int4eraction with the other artists there but am also really tempted by the new studios which will be opening in Brandon Mill in the Village at the West End in May at the Greenville Center for the Arts.
I found the time to visit The Village Grind, a new coffee shop in the Village at the West End and a great gathering place for artists.  Wonderful coffee and great people.  The owner is the niece of Mark Mulfinger and two of his large paintings are hanging in the shop.  I can't wait for Mark and I to go.  I also stopped by Art&Light and saw their new digs and artists' work including Teresa Pace, Kent Ambler, Paul Flint, and Diane Kilgore.