Need a bottle of wine for a dinner party? Check. How about a toy for a niece’s birthday? They’ve got it. What about a housewarming gift for a new neighbor? It is all easy and possible at Art Mart, an eclectic and bustling mecca for one-stop shopping in the shadows of The University of Illinois in the city of Champaign.

“Art Mart has a housewares and gifts department, we have a toy department,” explained Brian McKay who owns Art Mart with his wife, Courtney and Courtney’s mother, Linda Ballard. “We have a deli, where we make all of our own salads and all of our own product on site. We have a wine department, and then we have a full cafe with sandwiches, croissants, and our famous cookies.”

One step inside the white, glistening, and thoughtfully appointed interior of the store, and you’ll find your interest quickly piqued by all the uniquely, curated departments of Art Mart.

“Our business model really is getting new items in and keeping them until they show up at other places, and it works for us,” explained Brian. “People know that they can come to us and find things that they might not see anywhere else.”

“We try to have things first and be the best at what we do. It’s really kind of locked into our business model, and that’s when we’re buying things. That’s what frames all the aspects of our business.”

The management of this multi-dimensional shopping experience, which Brian stresses is hard to categorize in scope, is clearly a family affair. Courtney’s role touches on every aspect of the operation.

“She has a hand in everything. She is a doer,” explained Brian. “She comes in here early in the morning, and she’s here usually late in the afternoon working with the managers of the different departments.”

Courtney ensures that the products of Art Mart are well organized and visually pleasing. She manages inventory, oversees the kitchen staff and watches over the integrity of their time-honored recipes.

“We’ve got recipes that are 30 years old,” said Brian with a note of nostalgia. “We’ve got to make sure that if somebody had that sandwich 30 years ago, it tastes the same in 2024.”

For his part, Brian handles what he calls the “dirty things” of the operation such as building management. He also manages the cafe and helps to manage the deli.

“We work well with our customers,” explained Brian. “We listen to our customers and what they are interested in. We do our best to try to stay ahead of what is new and exciting in the market. That kind of gives us this mix of products that really we feel like are very unique.

“We really try to have things that are local,” added Brian, describing how he stocks the shelves of Art Mart. “We’re lucky in our community that there are a lot of things that are made locally or produced locally that are fantastic. But if there’s something that’s made in France that we like better, we’re going to carry that.”

The origins of Art Mart

The story of Art Mart dates back to 1958, when it was opened by Jan Fox as an art gallery for students and faculty at the University of Illinois. Brian’s mother-in-law, Linda Ballard, was one of its first employees. She worked at Art Mart for $1 an hour and developed such a passion for the place that she decided to purchase the business with her older sister, Carol Ann, once Jan’s husband received his Master’s Degree from the U of I. The purchase of Art Mart came with a heavy challenge.

“They went to the bank to get a loan for five thousand dollars to buy the business,” explained Brian. “The bank wouldn’t loan the money because they were women. So, they had to have their husbands co-sign on the loan to get a $5,000 loan. When they got the loan, the banker said to them, ‘You know, I may as well just take this money and go to the track with it, because this is not going to work.’”

Sixty-six years later, Art Mart is now the second oldest female-owned business in Illinois according to Brian, who noted that his mother-in-law established an admirable legacy for the store as a trailblazer.

“She comes from a background of women who could just do things. Her mother had a catering business in the 50s and 60s, and nobody ever told them no. And she and her sister, when they started the business, just took it and made it their own. They worked seven days a week,” stressed Brian with heavy praise for his mother-in-law whom he said still comes to work every day at Art Mart.

The stamp of legacy serves as a sturdy foundation for Art Mart to this day. Brian’s wife, Courtney, is also an owner of the business, though her path to Art Mart was not straightforward.

“Courtney didn’t want to work here when she was a kid. She said ‘I’m not going to work at Art Mart,’” said Brian, who noted that the family business was deeply ingrained in his wife and eventually attracted her back to the store.

After graduating from Illinois State with a degree in hospitality management, Courtney worked as a catering director at The Ritz-Carlton in Chicago, bringing valuable experience to Art Mart.

“She learned a lot there (at Ritz-Carlton) about catering to a high-end client and making sure things are perfect. That’s what she brings to the business,” added Brian.

As for Brian’s path to Art Mart, he fondly recalled visits to the store with his mother when he was growing up in the area.

“She was a U of I student, and I learned about Art Mart, when she was going here (University of Illinois). So, she would bring myself and my sisters here when we were little. Growing up, I always liked the Housewares Department. I really always liked the design. I love to cook.”

As an adult, Brian’s professional path took several turns before he arrived at Art Mart.

“I graduated with a degree in geology and started working for the News Gazette. I sold advertising for them,” Brian recalled. “And then, I worked as a police officer for the city of Champaign, left there and went to Prairie Gardens. It’s a garden center, another Champaign institution. I learned a lot about retail there.”
Brian and Courtney brought to Art Mart their own retail experiences, when they purchased an ownership stake in the store in 2007.

“Everything has a Christmas season, not just your Christmas items. There’s a Mother’s Day. There’s a Valentine’s Day. There are all these different seasons throughout the year, and you have to have product for all of those different seasons,” Brian stressed.

Modern living since 1958

The store’s move in 2016 from Lincoln Square Mall in Urbana to its current location on Prospect Avenue in Champaign marked a significant milestone, because the ownership group purchased the building where Art Mart now operates. “We came here for more space, for more visibility,” said Brian. “Owning your own building is important, because you’re paying rent to yourself. You can manage your costs much easier.

“Malls across America are just not what they were 30 years ago, 20 years ago, and we wanted to own our own space. We really felt like we wanted to be a destination, and when we moved in here, we thought forty-six parking spaces were going to be enough. Within about six months, we realized that we were short on parking, but we’ve got all the space that we need inside, and so we make do. But owning our own building was very important to us,” said Brian.

The store’s appearance is captured perfectly in the tagline for the business, which was created by Brian: “Modern living since 1958.”

“That’s always kind of been our look, that classic modern look. There’s a lot of wood, a lot of glass. A lot of metal,” noted Brian. “We try to keep things very minimal to let the product shine.”

This focus on design is particularly meaningful given that Courtney’s father was an industrial design professor at U of I.

“Being part of Champaign-Urbana history is really a unique thing,” explained Brian. “We don’t advertise. Our advertising budget is literally zero, and I think it’s partially because this (Art Mart) has so many people coming through it with the University. They come here, and they’re here for years, six years or eight years, or they stay. And we become part of their daily routine.”

ILLINOIS

Brian and Courtney McKay’s path to Art Mart may have been somewhat indirect, but they seem to be an optimal fit for this Champaign institution.

“I think the people of Illinois should realize that retail can be a great career. If you have a passion for what you’re selling and for what you’re doing, it can be a very, very rewarding career where you’re working with vendors, you’re working with your customers, and your staff,” said Brian with a wide smile. “We have a lovely staff and they (employees) come to us. We don’t have to run ads. People come and want to work here because of what we have, and because of what we sell. I think it really kind of boils down to your product and what you’re selling and if you have a beautiful product, it’s a lot easier to get customers and staff.”

Wisdom from leadership

McKay offered sound advice for anyone opening a retail business which he based on his years of experience as an owner/operator of Art Mart.

“My number one piece of advice to somebody who’s opening up a new business is spend less than you’re earning.”

Brian cautioned against a common pitfall for new business owners which is the initial spending spree. While it may be tempting to buy all the shiny new fixtures and equipment at the beginning, Brian is an advocate for a more calculated approach.

“The way we look at it is if I’m buying a $100 display or shelf, that had better generate at least $1,000 in sales in order to pay for itself,” Brian emphasized while noting the importance of anticipating the wide array of start-up expenses one may encounter — payroll, electricity, and even garbage disposal.

“Really saving that money for a rainy day is really something that a lot of business owners do, who are successful,” added Brian.

This strategic approach to spending and strong focus on understanding the mathematics of retail has helped Art Mart maintain its success.

The joy of Art Mart

The passion behind the success of Art Mart was palpable as Brian reflected on his career at Art Mart.

“I really do love retail. I’ve been in retail a long time,” Brian explained. “I love dealing with customers and helping customers. I’m not selling something that I feel like somebody is going to take home and it’s going to break and they’re going to come or call and be upset about. We get letters from customers loving what we sell and that really makes it an easy, easy job.”