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February 6, 2004
Art by day and party by night
Brothers hit great idea with Sugar and Sugar gallery and event
venue.
JANNETTE EDMONDS SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH BULLETIN
The Sugar brothers have a good thing going – an art gallery
by day and a place to party by night. Tucked away on the periphery
of Gastown, in a seemingly less-than-desirable location, is their
newest venture – the Sugar and Sugar gallery. Leaving the grime
and grit of the street behind, one steps into a two-tiered visual
masterpiece of light, space and color, making this a high-end gallery
that doubles as a venue for weddings, corporate parties, openings,
book launches or whatever the customer wants.
Jason, 36, and Damon, 35, are only 13 months apart, both single
and, with no other siblings, they are tight. Coming from different
career backgrounds, they have melded their separate talents to run
what looks like a sure business bet. Damon is the artistic one.
He curates and hangs all their shows, which change every month or
so. His background at Emily Carr and his eye for design have served
him well. Jason is the operations man and, coming from a background
of software design, runs the business end of things.
The brothers say they are fortunate not to have to rely for survival
on the selling of art, as most galleries do. Their spacious, two-level,
4,500-square-foot space with a full bar upstairs and down and a
full commercial kitchen brings in enough rental revenue.
"If the art sells, great," said Damon, "but basically
if I like it, I hang it." The pair plan to focus more on the
art end of things as soon as they get some time in their busy schedules.
"I feel like we are going 24-7," laughed Jason. "We
have the potential to become one of the most successful galleries
in Vancouver," he continued. "We have the space and so
can hang up-and-coming artists where the more established galleries
may not be able to. We can have art for art's sake. It's a win-win
situation for us, for culture and for the community."
The Sugars, who are Jewish, moved here in 1989 from Toronto and
admit that they are "really good at hosting parties."
So that is what they do. They have many contacts within several
communities and it all started in 1998 when Damon opened an after-hours
place on West Pender.
"It was packed every night," he said. "It was very
successful." They had a wide spectrum of people from the corporate
world to the film industry, movie stars and recording artists. But
after two years, they were burned out and looking for something
they could do during the day.
Then came the next venture, Sugar and Sugar Studio, which also functioned
as an art gallery with cocktail parties booked in the evening. Problems
getting the proper licensing eventually closed that business.
The idea for the Sugar and Sugar gallery started when Damon walked
by the property at 99 Powell St.
"The sign in the window said licensed for pub or restaurant,"
he said. Excited, he viewed the place, which had been vacant for
a couple of years, and was stunned by the view from the main floor
balcony that looked down to the basement level.
"When I saw all the space on the lower level as well, I knew
this place had immense potential," said Damon. Jason got involved
and together they worked to raise the more than $600,000 needed
to totally gut the place and renovate it into its current light
and airy space with circular bars, top-notch sound system, baby
grand piano and cozy couches and sitting areas spread throughout
its roomy dimensions. The brothers opened the gallery in April of
last year.
The ever-changing art exhibits are constantly transforming the place.
Artists get good exposure and party-goers always have new art to
admire.
"The place is continually alive and vibrant. It's a great situation,"
said Jason. "People love having a party in a dynamic place."
They hope to have events booked every weekend. A big corporation
had their New Year's event there and Canadian Friends of the Hebrew
University had a recent bash there as well.
Damon is always seeking to better their marketing plan. For now,
the marketing is done through media, word-of-mouth and their Web
site, sugarandsugar.com.
"We reach many demographics, so our strategies are varied,"
he said. "We recently had a booth at the wedding fair. We have
a lot of wedding receptions here and we can rent just the venue
or arrange everything from food to flowers to entertainment."
Their current exhibit features four artists: Gustavo Rodriguez,
Philip Martin, Heather McAlpine and Jewish community member Pnina
Granirer, who initiated and organized the highly successful Artists
in our Midst Open Studios event involving more than 70 local artists.
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