Ten years ago, two female artists went out to try their hand at running a home show together. They had so much fun, and enjoyed their work so much that they banded together with three other friends and opened the .
Located at 8 Court St. in Natick, the Five Crows is both a gallery and a shop full of shelves displaying the work of many fine local artists.
“We have 145 artists in the store,” said co-owner Ginger McEachern. “We celebrated our 10th anniversary this past February with a gallery show that raised money for high school scholarships.”
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The original five owners, or five crows, all brought something unique to the table, and happily, the three remaining artists are all diverse in their artistry.
“Gianna Bird is a silversmith, Paula Kochanek is a glass artist and I work with mixed media and paper,” McEachern explained.
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The talent represented at the Five Crows is all local.
“On the last Friday of every month (except December), we meet and jury the work of artisans that have so graciously brought their work into us,” their website reads. “We look at several things before accepting their work: quality of craftsmanship, how creative and original is the work, and how well we can display it.”
Because of this monthly process, you can be assured something new to look at every month.
“Currently, our most unique item is a pair of sculpted elf boots,” McEachern said. “They are human size and I think they are very unique. They were crafted by Ramune Jauniskis. She does a lot of whimsical stuff, and she is also a terrific potter.”
The biggest change the crows have seen in their 10 years is that they now no longer have to look for artists, and the size of their space has doubled as a result.
"We started in half this space," Bird said. "We expanded to two times the original size about six years ago."
“Artists are always looking for a place to display and sell their work,” McEachern said. “We feel privileged to offer a variety of high quality, hand-crafted work by artists and artisans from the local area.”
Among the shelves and hanging from the walls of the Five Crows you will find silver jewelry, original paintings, hand turned salad bowls, greeting cards, glass art, hand painted furniture, and many more original items.
“Our items are affordable too,” McEachern said. “Our items start at $4 and we can put a beautiful housewarming gift together for $25. That said, we do have beautiful fine art also if that’s what people are looking for.”
The shop is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. The website is open 24/7 for window shopping.
“The real advantage is all of our artists are local,” Bird said. “So if you decide that you would like a custom or specialized piece, they are easy to come by.”
To learn more about the Five Crows, visit their website or call 508-653-2526.
