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I didn't know Bar Vasa were moving out of the Cheesegrater, I don't get out much these days... the only times I have been there there was no-one in there, but then Tontine Street is still a bit of a stretch to picture as an ideal spot for a sophisticated evening. The "creative quarter" of Folkestone does seem to have stalled a bit doesn't it. Damn recession!
Having traded in Antiques and Fine & Applied Art for over 20 years and after running a Gallery in Canterbury in a good position near The Marlowe Theatre for ten years with wide experience of fine, collectable and quality items; a good cohort of willing staff and substantial stock, I was thinking of opening a second gallery in Margate's Old Town. Sadly, as predicted, the Turner Contemporary project in Margate stalled. Having heard of the regeneration of the Folkestone I investigated and was so drawn by the town with its various and interesting architecture; its unique light, sense of space and fine views I sold up in Canterbury and moved here.
I was excited by the chance of opening a much smaller Gallery within the Creative Quarter. I took a shop in The Old High Street for a few months as a tenant of the Creative Foundation but regret the decision for multiple reasons which included the high rent which was almost twice that per useable sq.ft. of my previous Gallery in Canterbury and it proved to be unfit for retail purpose. Still keen to continue trading in the Creative Quarter I took a much larger shop from a sensible commercial landlord at a rent which is a mere fraction of that charged by the Creative Foundation, a registered charity.
Sadly footfall has only increased, if at all, minimally and I have decided while continuing my business not to have premises.
During the past 27 months I have hosted around 17 exhibitions of which many proved successful and while I invited trustees, directors and staff of the Creative Foundation they have noticeably been absent.
I held an Art Exhibition in conjunction with Canterbury College and the Kent & Medway NHS Trust and while its Chief Executive drove from Maidstone to attend there was no support from the CF.
There was no representation from the CF at an exhibition of work by students from Arc 25, here in Tontine Street though I gather the organiser personally invited the then Chief Executive.
The CF has failed to retain the excellent Bar Vasa at the Quarterhouse, Wild for Flowers, one of their earliest supporters and Moda an award winning gift shop.
A director of the CF which employs only a few dozen people earns more than the chief Executive of Oxfam employing 6,000 people and is also a Trustee supervising his own job.
(see http://www.charity-commission.gov.uk)
While I continue to support what I see as the aims of this regeneration I cannot continue to trade here.
My next Exhibition will be on 27th & 28th March 2010 at The Grand on The Leas Folkestone
The Neville Pundole Gallery presently at 39 Tontine Street Folkestone Kent CT20 1JT
01303 223029 07860 278774 pundole.co.uk neville@pundole.co.uk sales@AffordART.co.uk AffordART.co.uk
Thanks for support ....
This is my site The 'Gerald that I built in a fury of excitement when I first came here sometime in '04. I had been a frequent visitor for a while before that but I am technically one of those DFLs you get now. This site was updated more frequently with a gig calendar + voting for favourite venues + things, + I know it was a useful resource for those who were moving here. Now I've moved out of Folkestone again (though only to Hythe) it doesn't get as much attention as it used to. Ironic really as The town is now becoming the exciting place we always thought it was just about to. My name is not Gerald by the way, the name comes from a fake paper in an episode of The Day Today or something, the Portsmouth Gerald, + how there is a local paper here called the Folkestone Herald. Puns like this are GRATE aren't they? Do get in touch if you have something to contribute, email anythign @ this domain, or try @folkestone or @pauly on Twitter.