Art of My Heart in its original location in the TD Square Mall (photo from 2007). Art of My Heart operated in this location for more than 15 years. The main jewellery case is on the left.
I worked for two and a half years at a wonderful and magical import art store in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, called Art of My Heart. During that time, the owner and I developed a successful bead jewellery line that specialized in semi-precious stone, freshwater pearl, and Bali silver combinations. Art of My Heart was a dream job, and the loss of it during a wave of early Pluto in Capricorn hyper-gentrification still causes a pang in my heart to this day. Thank you to the owner of this business for his vision, his heart, and his artistry. He made Calgary a better, more soulful, and more beautiful place, and I'm sure his absence is still felt by his old customers and friends to this day.
The owner has sent me some fabulous beads from time to time since he closed his shop, and I have some bead jewellery creations (some old and some new) for sale at the Willow's Web Astrology Etsy shop.
What follows are a few articles I wrote during my time with Art of My Heart (2006 - 2009) and just afterward. (I have to say, I appreciate the late-twentysomething snark in some of these!)
From November 6, 2011
Mabe pearl pendant with freshwater pearl and Bali silver beads
Before Pluto entered Capricorn and the wrecking ball was unleashed on independent businesses (as well as non-independent), I started working for a cool Jewish man in his cool little store called Art of My Heart, which I've written about on the blog.
It was at this job I learned that I know how to make bead jewellery designs. In the same way I discovered that I know how to practice astrology, I was given the opportunity to draw something to the surface that had been there all along, and I'm ever-grateful.
Art of My Heart was an art and curiousity shop that a man I'll call Harold had been running by himself (with supplemental help from various colourful part-time employees) for a decade-and-a-half. Harold was a world traveler and importer and an art and beauty lover. He traveled to various countries over the years, buying art and curiousities and bringing them back to sell in the store. His favourite place was Bali, Indonesia.
Art of My Heart was located in the downtown mall and was basically an anachronism. Harold had moved in many years prior when mall culture was vastly different - ie. independently-owned businesses were still being allowed to operate. That was changing very quickly. The Pluto in Cap writing was on the wall, and as time went on, indie-owned businesses were having their rents increased to unsustainable amounts or were not having their leases renewed at all. They were dropping one-by-one, and as the plans for wide-scale gentrifying renovations in the mall drew nearer, Harold and his wonderful store, among the final independent hold-outs, were increasingly unwelcome.
The squeeze was on.
