Imagine That! Artisans Co-op

Date of Incorporation: Spring/Summer 1994
Membership: 6 board members, 120 or so consignors;
Activity: Marketing Co-op/Retail Outlet for locally produced art.
Area Served: Cowichan Valley and some outlying areas.

Background

The Cowichan valley region is said by locals to have one of the largest artist communities in BC after the Gulf Islands. Despite this concentration of artists, there have been no permanent venues for local artists to show their work. Artists in the area have always sold goods through the craft fairs and art shows, but between these events, artists were not easily able to consistently market their goods. Many of the local art retailers carry imported goods at cheap prices that create a competitive disadvantage for local artists.

In the spring of 1994 almost twenty local artists and artisans in the Cowichan Valley began meeting to discuss the idea of establishing a permanent venue. These artists, who knew each other through local artists' networks, were collectively dissatisfied with the transitory and temporary nature of these events. They all were looking for a way to present their work in a group format that could provide them with a stable market.

Forming the Co-operative

When thinking of the best way to organise the group, the co-op model seemed a good framework to meet their needs as an association of artists and artisans. There was also some experience within the group with the co-operative model. Elaine Kerr, one of the founding members of Imagine That! had been involved in a co-operative art gallery in the Lake Cowichan region that operated during the summer months. Her experience with using the co-operative model for marketing artwork provided an important asset for the group.

Once the group had decided the co-op model was best for them, they looked for outside assistance to help them interpret how the Co-op Act of the provincial government applied to them, by identifying which elements of the act would apply to their particular situation and which did not. Melanie Conn, a co-operative developer from DEVCO, assisted the group with the interpretation of the act and in preparing their incorporation documents. The group had sought assistance from the Community Futures office in Duncan, hoping that they could provide documentation on setting up a co-op, but there was none available at the time.

According to Kerr, it turned out that the group setting up the co-op was the one providing information on the process to their Community Futures office, and to the BC Ministry responsible for co-operatives.

The members of Imagine That! developed a package that they offered to others interested in setting up artists' co-ops; the Ministry began to refer people interested in information on co-op development for marketing art and artisan productions to the group in Duncan.

We did have a meeting with the person from the Ministry [of Community Development, Co-operatives and Volunteers] working with co-operatives...We expected to get information from the Ministry. And unfortunately there was none. The person that we talked to was making notes and saying "you did what?" So it was a reverse situation for us, unfortunately. So that shows you how little documentation and information there was...[and] how far co-operative information has come in the last six years. (Elaine Kerr, Imagine That! member)

Human Resources of the Best Kind

The initial meetings of the group included close to twenty members. Since that time, many potential members have fallen away from the group. When the group formed Imagine That! Artisans' Designs, there were six members, and that continues to be the case, although there has been some turn-around in membership. When the co-op began, it was required that there be six directors, so each member was a director. The legislation of 2001 now only requires three, but the group has stuck with six, as that worked well for them. The board includes the President, Secretary and Treasurer as well as three other directors.

When the group started, all they had to build with were the energies and experience of the committed six members. The group formed small committees to carry out the organisational tasks of finding a retail space, incorporating and registering the business name, and finding supplies.

Elaine Kerr stresses that communication between members is very important in setting up a co-op. In her view honesty and respect for other members is the only way to operate, especially when differences arise.

Imagine That! has a good working relationship with over one hundred and twenty consignors, who sell their goods through the store. The consignors also provide a potential membership recruiting pool. The board has a partnership arrangement that aims to bring the more committed consignors into a closer relationship with the operations of the co-op. The partnership position has a trial of three months in which the partner and the co-op can assess if becoming a full member of the co-op is the right choice.

Other members had taken marketing courses through the Community Futures office, learning how best to sell their wares, which provided another skills resource for the co-op. Although each of the members came into the co-op with their own particular skills to offer, their experience has grown exponentially through the process of running the co-op. Carrying out the daily duties of running the store and the organisation has offered a tremendous opportunity for learning among the members. The group has been consistent in institutionalising this learning, so that future members or others interested in setting up a co-operative can learn from their experiences. Originally their policy book was 13 pages, but it grew to 38 when the co-op's daily experiences of operating the store were incorporated into policy guidelines.

Goals of the Co-op - Building Community

Imagine That! was created to showcase high quality locally produced art, and almost everything in the store is a one-of-a-kind hand produced piece of work. The Co-op gives members of the local artist community the opportunity to identify themselves as part of a community, instead of in isolation and competition with each other. Not only does the co-op provide a space to show and sell the art of the members and consignees, it also provides the artists with feedback on their own work from other members and from the customers.

The members of Imagine That! are committed to building relationships within the community. During their early years they set up a workshop on marketing strategies for downtown businesses. They have also hosted events on developing and showcasing artistic skills, like the birdhouse competition and a drawing workshop. Eventually the members of the co-op would like to see an arts centre established in the community, and they hope to play a role in making this happen.

Imagine That! has prepared guides to co-op development for other groups that approach them wanting to set up an artists' co-op. The aim of the guide is to help other groups learn from their own experience. Some of the tasks in running this kind of operation, such as bookkeeping and keeping track of inventory slips, can be complicated when you are working with member's goods as well as wares from over one hundred consignees. The guide outlines these processes of operation, and Imagine That! offers their policy book to any co-ops for a small fee.

Challenges to Sustainability

The co-operative has had difficulty procuring financing to set up the co-op. Neither the banks nor the local credit union were willing to loan them the money that they needed to start up the retail outlet. The group was able to get small loans from private sources, mostly friends of people in the group. They did not receive funding from any outside sources. It took several years for the co-op to develop a sense of minimal financial security, and each year they still wonder if they will be able to make ends meet.

"Every year we...look at our budget and think, 'Are we going to be able to make it this year? Are we going to be able to stay open?'And every year so far it's been okay. We've pulled through somehow, but it's scary at times." (Elaine Kerr, Imagine That! Member)

One of the other greatest threats to the co-op, apart from financial security, is the low membership. The co-op is able to operate with six members, but if it falls below this number, the workload is very heavy for those who are left. Each member needs to commit a certain amount of time to the operation of the co-op, which usually excludes the possibility of carrying on another job elsewhere. However, the co-op itself does not provide the members with enough money to live on, so members need to have some other source of income in their family. This makes it difficult to obtain the kind of commitment they need to expand membership.

Imagine That! would benefit from financial assistance from the government to allow them to hire a staff person for the store. As it stands each member is required to spend one day each week watching the store. During the holidays they spend a good deal of time ensuring the store is prepared for the increase in customers.

Imagine That! Now faces even tougher times. The local economy will suffer from high job loss due to the shutdown of local mills, as well as from the recently implemented US soft lumber tariff.  The economic downturn has already had a direct effect on the group. Elaine Kerr, one of the founding members, moved to another town because her husband (who worked at the now-closed Youbou mill) found employment elsewhere. Unless the local economy recovers, all business in the area will suffer.

Case Study Information

This case study was developed for a report entitled Situating Co-operatives in British Columbia - 2000-2001, which was prepared for the Province of B.C. (Ministry of Community Development, Co-operatives and Volunteers) by the British Columbia Institute for Co-operative Studies, University of Victoria.  To obtain the information for the case study BCICS and the co-operative entered into a partnership agreement. BCICS is grateful to the co-op members for their contributions and time. The case study is published with the approval of the co-operative.

Researcher: Lloy Wylie

Date of research: 2001

Author:  Lloy Wylie

Date of writing: 2001

Editing: BCICS editorial group

Supervision: Kathleen Gabelmann, BCICS Research Co-ordinator

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