by Grace Butland

Gallery Opening Makes a Big Splash
Fiddlehead at four corners opened its doors to the community and built a home

oel and Nina Lentzner wanted to make a big splash when they opened Fiddlehead at Four Corners in May 2000. “You know when you’re starting out, you have just a certain amount of time to make an impression,” explains Joel Lentzner. So the couple planned a grand opening for their Vermont-based gallery that would grab the attention of the town and surrounding areas.

As makers of one-of-a-kind painted furniture, the Lentzners were looking for a larger workspace and showroom when they purchased an empty bank building in the center of Bennington, Vt., on Dec. 29, 1999. With a goal of opening the gallery in May, they set about renovating the space to house a 2,800-square-foot gallery plus a workshop and living quarters.

With a population of 9,000 (18,000 including the surrounding area), Bennington is the third largest town in Vermont. Routes 7 and 9, the two main highways in southwestern Vermont, intersect in the town (the intersection, directly in front of the gallery, is known locally as “four corners”), so “anybody who is going anywhere in western Vermont drives right by our door,” says Lentzner. Bennington is rapidly becoming established as an arts community, a development supported in the town plan and by local officials.

A grand opening for a good cause

The concept the Lentzners developed was simple: Use the grand opening to benefit a good cause rather than as a sales opportunity. “You do what you think is a good thing,” says Lentzner, “and you trust that it will eventually come back to you.”

The good cause they selected was the Bennington Head Start’s Arts Partnership, which is dedicated to bringing more arts programs to low-income children. This program was a perfect fit with the Lentzners’ personal interests — Joel Lentzner is a former teacher with a master’s degree in educational administration.

May 23 was selected as the opening date, and serious legwork for the event started in early April. Working with a budget of $1,200 to $1,500, invitations were designed, printed and mailed; press releases written and mailed; publicity photos taken; posters distributed, etc. The mailing list comprised names provided by Head Start, the Lentzners’ own mailing list from four years on the craft show circuit, and an “A-list” of local politicians, lawyers, doctors, educators, government officials, business owners, etc.

The event was designed to entice people to come to the gallery and enjoy themselves. The time, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., was selected to attract people after work. Having the event on a Friday was critical. “We wanted it to be at the end of the week when people would feel good about taking an evening off. And it needed to be on a workday, when people were already in town,” says Lentzner. There was food, champagne and soda, and musical entertainment by two singing duos, a piano player and a reggae drummer (all the performers donated their time). Carmody’s, a local restaurant and tavern, donated all the champagne. The $15 attendance charge went directly to the Head Start’s Art Partnership program.

Advance ticket sales were offered through a local restaurant, a bookstore and several other outlets. Hardly any tickets sold before the night of the event — a circumstance that caused some concern. But in the end, there was no need to worry; more than 200 people purchased tickets at the door. “It became a schmoozing event,” says Lentzner, “a place to see and be seen. It was new and exciting. Everybody who was anybody in southwest Vermont was here.”

All the buzz

The event generated articles in all the regional newspapers and received excellent radio coverage as well. “And,” says Lentzner, “for two months afterward, we were ‘water cooler’ conversation. Everyone was talking about the Fiddlehead at Four Corners.”

Publicity from the event helped get the gallery off to a great start. Although 60 to 70 percent of their business comes from tourists, Fiddlehead at Four Corners gets strong support from the local population. “We have collectors who come in every three to four weeks, and other customers who come in once or twice a year for gifts,” says Lentzner. Tourists and residents alike are fascinated with the old bank building and its art deco architecture, marble walls, gorgeous brass chandeliers, and three large vaults. The main vault is used to showcase a new artist every three to four weeks.

Inside Fiddlehead at Four Corners, where the fundraisers were held.

If it works, keep doing it

Inspired by the success of their grand opening, the Lentzners revived the concept 18 months later in October 2001. This time, they staged a fundraiser for a personal project called “My First Seuss.” It was inspired by “The Secret Art of Dr. Seuss” (a coffee-table book of paintings, cartoons and sketches that Theodor Seuss Geisel created but never showed to anyone before his death), which the gallery sells. The objective of the project is to give a free copy of a Dr. Seuss book to every child born at the local hospital. Like the grand opening, this was a no-sales event, held at the gallery when it was closed for business. Various town professionals — a fireman, a nurse, a teacher, a doctor, etc. — came in and read from their favorite Dr. Seuss books. Champagne and food were served, and the evening was another success.

For the Lentzners, knowing the community was a key factor in planning their grand opening and subsequent events. Using the grand opening as a fundraiser for a worthy cause brought many people into Fiddlehead at Four Corners who would not have attended an event designed as a sales opportunity. “We were able to make a big splash in our community,” says Lentzner. “It enabled us to meet a lot of people right away who would normally have taken much, much longer to come in.” And that’s the first step in creating sales — getting the customers in the door.