Rickards open new gallery, wine bar

"We've seen big art galleries with a little wine bar and big wine bars with a little artwork, but nothing like this," said Dan and Julia Rickards, owners of the newly remodeled Clearwater Gallery and Framing and The Open Door wine bar and patio.

July 11 marked the official opening of the experimental hybrid venture on Hood Avenue, pairing the Rickards' love of fine art and entertaining friends and clients. The bar/bistro are integrated into a freshly remodeled artists' gallery and include a landscaped garden courtyard serving as an entertainment venue and reception area for a multitude of varied functions.

"We're trying to stand out and do something innovative, to take both entities and bring them together with forethought," said Dan. "If we were going to do a wine bar with food then let's do it right and have interesting events and attract people. In this economy nobody needs a piece of artwork right now. They're going to buy art because of friends or relationships you have with the artists. People come for an immersive experience and that's what we want to give them."

It's a bold move that defies more conservative tactics to battle with hard economic times, but one that just may pay off handsomely.

"What was first going to be a space for outdoor yard art has now become a whole second dining experience zone," said Dan, setting up tables a for Sunday afternoon opera performance. "There'll be artist workshops, lots of live music, parties and outdoor movie showings. It's meant to be very atmospheric and a different place where people want to hang out and relax."

The family's former location on Cascade Avenue served as a gallery and studio home for Rickards' landscape paintings and hundreds of other artists over the past decade. Venturing into the events arena is something very new.

"We just hosted our first Concert In The Courtyard on Friday evening and it was awesome with a huge attendance," said Julia. "It goes to show you that if you create a unique space, people will come. We've had many heartfelt comments from people thanking us for providing a gathering spot for the entire community. Our family is so moved by the waves of gratitude and the celebration of hopefulness in difficult times and want to welcome everyone to our new home."

Not content to simply keep limping along with the economy, waiting for the next person to walk in the door, the Rickards began formulating his ambitious plan last year.

"Right now my first goal is to finish this project," said Dan. "The outside artist studios are almost completed, and just getting our feet on the ground when we want to transition to a music event or special movie night will be nice. I mean, we opened on Quilt Show weekend and we wouldn't normally have done that on purpose. That would be crazy, but we made it work."

Though somewhat frazzled and lacking sleep, the Rickards are looking forward to a summer of growth and discovery with their project.

"Customer service and relationships are our number-one thing. I believe strongly in value with art purchases and dining out," Dan said. "Because someone can afford Ferraris doesn't mean they want to overpay for a Ford. We give a full pour on a glass of wine and good food portions on the flatbread pizzas, panini sandwiches and salads. In the end it's only a couple bucks difference but people remember and appreciate those tiny things."

Good economy or bad, none of this business transformation would have come to fruition without the backing of the Sisters community.

"The support we've had has been amazing, people thanking us for taking a huge chance in this stagnating economy," he said. "It's a creative canvas with walls instead of paint, but it took a lot of help to bring it all into reality."

Clearwater Gallery and The Open Door are located at 303 W. Hood Ave.