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25/08/2010  |  0

Mayberry Fine Art

Canadian Fine Art Dealer and Winnipeg Success Story

Bill Mayberry thumbed through the newspaper, looking for work.  It was late 1970 and he and his wife had recently emigrated from Northern Ireland to Winnipeg.  His wife pointed out an ad for a framer at Hovmand’s Art Gallery.  While it didn’t sound promising, and he knew little about art, Bill figured he might be able to apply his carpenter’s apprentice training, why not give it a shot?

Almost 40 years later, Bill has transformed his skill with a saw and a hammer into a family business employing 10 people, including his wife, two sons, and two nephews.  Back then, Bill waited for new works to come into the gallery and dutifully framed them for hanging.  Today, Mayberry Fine Art are dealers in historical and contemporary Canadian works of art of the highest quality, helping clients from around the world build significant collections of art, and finding markets for dozens of Canadian artists who might not otherwise be discovered.

While they have many Winnipeg clients, Mayberry Fine Art also serves as primary art dealer for collectors and home decorators alike throughout Canada, and beyond.  In fact, many of their clients are displaced Canadians now calling the US home who address their longing for the Great White North by hanging the works of Canadian artists on their walls.

So how does being based in Winnipeg help their business continue to succeed and prosper?  If you ask Ryan, Bill’s son and a key member of the family brain trust, their central location in Canada allows them to easily bridge the time differences between East and West coasts and communicate more effectively with their clients spread throughout Canada and the US.  Shipping art is simple and economical to any location in North America.  And the reasonable costs of commercial and retail space in downtown Winnipeg allow them to offer a large gallery space to display their artists’ works, and a spacious facility to provide art related services which allow their clients to continue buying whether they’ve covered every wall in their homes or not.  Winnipeg’s reasonable traffic and geographical size also allow various family members to live on opposite ends of the city and still conveniently gather at the gallery each day.

According to their site, “With over 30 years experience, Mayberry Fine Art offers a wide range of art expertise and services, including restoration, archival framing, art storage, shipping, art valuation and collecting – Mayberry Fine Art’s knowledgeable staff are ready to serve you with the best advice.”  While this is a great summary of art related assistance MFA can provide, I would argue the real reasons to visit the gallery are to witness and enjoy a successful Winnipeg-based family business in action, and to meet a whole bunch of friendly folks loving life in Canada’s best city to boot.  Of course one can’t ignore the fact that you will be surrounded by amazing artworks, and heck, if you’re lucky, you might have an opportunity to share a glass of wine with Bill and find out first hand what makes this internationally renowned art business a true Winnipeg success story.