Interview: Faythe Levine
The co-owner of Paper Boat Boutique And Gallery explains why she's shutting it down
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Since opening four years ago, Paper Boat Boutique And Gallery has gone from being a Bay View favorite to a leading light of the international DIY craft movement, thanks in large part to co-owner Faythe Levine’s championing of the scene in her recent Handmade Nation film and book. So why, with all this worldwide attention, has Levine and co-owner Kim Kisiolek decided to close Paper Boat at the end of May? Levine offered up an explanation and some wishes for the local arts scene to Decider.
Decider: What made you and Kim decide to close Paper Boat?
Faythe Levine: The bottom line is the economy—the local economy. We were hoping we could make it work, but Kim and I made the decision to close while we were on top of our game instead of waiting until things got disastrous. It’s never been easy breezy here. We’ve always been “just making it,” you know? It’s been four years of a labor of love. So, along with people not spending as much money, it was just too much for us to stay open.
D: Are you relieved by your decision at all?
FL: It’s gonna be a real readjustment. It’s really bittersweet. Kim and I both work full-time jobs on top of working here at the store full-time. So, I mean, there is definitely some relief in that, but we are gonna be at a real loss for a while.
D: So, what’s next?
FL: There are so many logistics involved in closing the store because all the artists’ work is on consignment. We have to ship back work to, like, 200 people. So, we are hoping to sell as much as possible before we close because everything we sell is one less thing we have to pay to ship back. After that, a little bit of recuperating and down time. For four years, I haven’t been able to go out for Gallery Night. Neither Kim nor I get to spend time in other people’s spaces. Having time to work on my own stuff again, and feeding into the art community in a different role will be where I’m at for a little while. And we are still going to produce Art Vs. Craft this fall, in November. We’re really excited for that.
D: There has been a lot of talk about how supporting the local cultural scene will save Milwaukee. What are your thoughts on that?
FL: People don’t realize how important independent galleries are to the vitality of a city. I guess my concern is that the fewer small galleries exist, the more young people—young, creative people—will leave. I know the gallery directors and owners of venues similar to Paper Boat in other cities where their business is their full-time job. In Milwaukee, it seems like we are all doing this as a labor of love—as a hobby. Somehow we aren’t able to pay ourselves. I don’t know why that is. People are shopping in Milwaukee, but why is it that in Milwaukee we are unable to have sustainable, long-term businesses like in other cities? I don’t know what the solution is. I wouldn’t expect the city to just hand us a check so we can stay open, but I definitely see programs in other cities set up to support small galleries or give them free advertising or to connect them in other ways that I don’t see Milwaukee being progressive enough about. If a city doesn’t support a strong art community, especially a young art community, it loses a really important feeling mid-sized cities need to keep people and survive.
D: What are other cities doing that you’d like to see in Milwaukee?
FL: Pittsburgh has a really interesting art community that I was so romanced by. They have a mural project sponsored by the Sprout Fund that pairs local building owners with local artists to create murals that give amazing life to the city. They have an annual art show of the mural proposals, and a board as well, as the public votes on which pieces in the show will be made into murals the following year. There’s funding to create the murals and to maintain the murals. So when you drive through Pittsburgh, there is just this incredible public gallery of local art on the streets. It’s just one small part of this foundation. It’s so incredible to me. They are revitalizing the city, the arts, and the communities. So many different people are getting involved on so many different levels.
D: Has announcing that Paper Boat is closing brought in more people?
FL: Kim and I are so grateful for the amount of support we’ve received since we announced we are closing. We are obviously sad and disappointed that we can’t continue the programming that we’ve been doing, but Paper Boat closing doesn’t mean that someone else can’t come along and start something that could potentially be very successful. Just remember: Going to galleries is an important way to show your support, but really saving up and actually trying to make a purchase at one of those spaces is key. You might not realize how much a $20 purchase actually supports a small business, and some months it can be the difference between a gallery making rent or not.
