Everyone in B/CS knows of First Friday. Downtown Bryan. Good people. Good food. Art, music and wine.

Thank Greta Watkins for all of that. She owns the Frame Gallery in Downtown Bryan and when a revival of the downtown lifestyle began, she saw an opportunity that helped community in the area.

I met Greta on First Friday. I found her and asked her to sign a paper for extra credit for an art history class. That was my first experience with Downtown Bryan and First Friday. All of it being completely new and foreign to me, I enjoyed it, or was at least really interested in it. Downtown is pretty eclectic and fairly artsy, (not putting the other word that normally comes after artsy.. I don't particularly like it), with a specific vibrancy that can't be described since the driving force of Greta Watkins has emerged.

The Frame Gallery opened as a means to do the things that Greta really wanted to do. Walking into her store, you see art on the walls, and couches, and a big open area. It feels like a museum, but not a normal one where you aren't allowed to touch anything and there are ropes telling you where you cant go, but a cozy one. The hanging art is not hers. Being a talented artist herself, she enjoys featuring others art on her walls. Any artist can go up on Greta's walls. Currently you find a high school students art hung next to an adults art.

No bias in her gallery. No.

She also allows her space to be used for different classes so you can always find something going on. Greta is good at getting people involved and connected.

I found, in talking with Greta, that she genuinely loves people. She wants to know people. She wants to get people connected (any interns looking for jobs, she can help!), and make sure that everyone gets a chance in the art world. She is a huge supporter of art and is your biggest fan.

Not only is Greta a super awesome person in general, but she also does some super awesome framing. You might recall that we are offering a new product for weddings that is a framed picture for guests to sign. That's all Greta. When you do work like this from a local vendor a couple of things happen that make the work special:
    1. You support the local economy. yay!
    2. You get a level of workmanship that is top-notch.
Greta will do excellent work for people because she takes pride in her work and to her, the customer is not just any other customer. Each client is important to her.

Go to a First Friday or get something framed. Just make sure you meet her and know her because you won't be disappointed. 

~ a post by super intern Lindsey:

M'lynn and Heather rock the awesomeness of design ;)

Talking to them was an educational experience. With every question asked, M'Lynn gives a very creativity oriented answer and Heather gives a very business oriented answer. M'lynn even made a comment about how she, a right brain thinker, and Heather, a left brain thinker, combine to make a nearly perfect creative-business owner.

I love them.

The Creative Cup started in a coffee shop. Two friends with different talents  knew that if they combined for one good cause, It. Would. Be. Epic. They work together to help businesses make and work a brand. So they combined Heather's marketing skills with M'lynn's design skills to make businesses rock.

Marketing can completely overwhelm the small business owner. Too many options, not enough savy/money/time, or just a general panic keeps most business away from putting together a solid marketing plan.  I was intrigued how they stay inspired to keep providing new and creative strategies/brands/designs for each new business they work with.  Their answer was so simple, it encouraged me:

"Keep trying new things and find what works."

I find inspiration in that statement. Try, see if it works, and if not then move on and try something else. That takes courage most business owners don't have. M'lynn and Heather bring that courage to the table for their clients.

Anyways, when you think about what they, do pictures are super important to them. Pictures create brands for companies. Heather and M'lynn are their company. We love that they understand the importance in having some stinkin' awesome pictures to promote themselves.

We hope that ya'll love them as well!

Being a Recreation, Park, and Tourism major, I took a programming class which  teaches  how to create and run a program. Programs being an event at a summer camp kind of thing. Maybe because I worked in a pretty big group and wrote multiple papers with the program..but it overwhelmed me. Wedding planners and all that they do amaze me. I love the idea of an event planner because they have the idea and see it in their head and in the end, we can physically touch what was once just a dream in their head. That's cool...

Susan Keough, rocks the wedding world here in the B/CS by running A Moment in Time. She plans weddings but if you asked sweetly she would orchestrate a non-wedding event. She wow-ed me when I chatted with her. First with this... the first event that she ever planned was for her college homecoming in Tennessee.... for 40,000+ people! Good grief..

Not only does she rock at the actual planning part of life but she rocks at the being an awesome person side of life. Soft spoken, but assertive, Susan knows how to talk to people in a kind way while still getting them to do what she wants them to do, even if they sometimes get contrarian ... it's a mind trick. When we chatted I found that, like most creatives, she loves when a couple gives her the basic, most important information about the wedding and Susan is able to present them with a couple of options and ideas. Within that she expresses a level of creative freedom in the planning process. I thrive on that. Majorly.  I can imagine that freedom has to be so enjoyable for a planner.

Susan makes the photographers job easier at each of her weddings. She brings an incredible amount of creativity to the table. Having a creative atmosphere to work in can be an inspiration to other creative professionals, which at a wedding means that the photographer can dream up dreamy photos of you and your new husband/wife. Not only does Susan encourage creativity (probably without even realizing it), but she also focuses on details which, in turn, aid in the creative process for photographers. In this way, we are sure to capture every important detail that Susan and the couple have worked so hard to make happen.

Stepping up our game folks. Some local business owners that we work around have been on us for years and years to utilize the resources around us better. Namely, the massive University right down the street with its seemingly endless supply of youthful energy. But, what can i say, I'm a bit of a control freak. Which means i think i can do it all myself. Which means I obviously can't. *Sigh* *Shrug* Oh well.


Anyways, this is LindsEy. Don't even think about spelling it with an "A". Amazing how quickly I took to bossing someone around. Shocking even. At first, I was all, "would you be a dear and get me some tea," but now I'm like, "hey! I'll take a cookie too!"

We are learning a lot while having her around. Mainly, what things are important vs. what things can be put off. We feel this massive pressure to utilize all the time we have her, so our productivity has been through the roof!

These upcoming weeks, we decided to have Lindsey interview a few of the people we work with and get to know how our business works well with theirs. On the blog she will feature those businesses and talking about how awesome they are. Fun right?