Mary and Evan Jorn, background, admire the ceramics on display at CornerBank, 4621 W. Sixth St. The bank is one of many sites that have created galleries within their interiors, some to support the arts community and others for additional profits.

About a year ago, Love Garden Sounds started hanging works from local artists on its walls.

Sure, owner Kelly Corcoran said, it might help bring a few customers through the doors who wouldn’t have gone in otherwise. And it’s a community service, to help out the art community.

But that’s not the true reason the music store, at 936 1/2 Mass., is hanging art.

“I think we’re doing it because it’s kind of fun,” Corcoran said. “You’ve got to change things up.”

Love Garden is among several local businesses that use their walls as gallery space, even though their primary commerce is in another area – perhaps as a coffee shop, bar or bank.

In some cases, owners were responding to galleries that have closed in the past few years. In others, they’re simply wanting to spruce up the walls of their establishment.

Artistic investment

In the case of CornerBank, 4621 W. Sixth St., the building the bank moved into in 2002 was intentionally built with gallery space in mind.

Since then, Barbara Braa said, the bank has shown the works of 120 to 140 artists with a focus on those who don’t have works at traditional galleries.

“I generally don’t have to look too hard,” said Braa, a trust and investment officer who also curates the bank’s shows. “People usually come to us.”

She said one of the bank’s missions is to help the arts, and it sponsors Lied Center events in addition to having the gallery space (and also organizing and paying for opening receptions for the artists).

Braa said some people do walk through the bank’s doors just to see art, and even that can’t be bad for business.

“It gets new people into the bank that wouldn’t otherwise get here,” she said. “Any time you bring folks into the facility, they’re more likely to be a customer.”

Another part-time gallery, the Bourgeois Pig, 6 E. Ninth St., has been showing art on its walls for the better part of a decade.

“I think the owners want something up on the walls,” said Molly Murphy, a local artist who curates the coffee shop/bar’s artwork. “It gives it a little more character. It’s a little more interesting than blank walls.”

Because space is limited, the Pig tends to show smaller artwork. And Murphy said with several gallery closings in the past few years – Fields Gallery and the Olive, to name two – the quality of submissions has gone up.

“I think, maybe, a year and a half ago, when people were complaining about galleries and venues closing down, might possibly be why I’m getting more professional submissions here,” Murphy said.

As far as a business venture goes, turning a business into a part-time gallery has differing results. Some, including the Pig and Corner Bank, choose to stay out of the purchase process for artists. Others, including Love Garden, take a commission (the music shop’s cut is 25 percent of art sold).

Undervalued work?

Not everyone thinks having gallery space in other businesses is a good idea, though.

Sally Piller, who opened 6Gallery in the fall at 716 1/2 Mass., said comparing full-time galleries, such as hers, and other spaces that show art is comparing apples to oranges.

“The only similarity is that both spaces have original art for sale on the walls,” she said. “The differences are many. Generally, in a nontraditional setting, there is no commission taken on art sales. The artist keeps all the money. A traditional gallery such as mine takes a commission on sales in exchange for a gallery space conducive to full appreciation of the art and expert representation to market the artist’s work.

“The gallery space is designed to display the art in the best way, from the colors on the walls, the lighting, the music and general atmosphere. I offer visitors a cup of coffee or tea to encourage them to linger and give them my full attention if it’s wanted, or leave them alone to look. I foster relationships with customers.”

She said because, in part, it’s easier for an artist to get a show at, say, a restaurant or coffee shop, having those venues as gallery spaces cheapens the product and actually is counterproductive to helping artists get fair values for their works.

“I want my gallery to be special – the go-to place to buy art by high-quality local and regional artists,” Piller said. “The art for sale is fairly expensive because it’s special. Customers want to know that they are spending their hard-earned cash on something rare and wonderful. When that same artist has been showing work in restaurants and banks all over town, it’s not so special anymore. It may still be desirable, but not for a fair market price.”

She’d prefer local businesses to buy local artists’ works and hang them on their walls full-time, as opposed to selling them.

“These other venues are simply getting their walls decorated for free,” she said. “The sales in these places are limited to a lower price point. Not many people will buy a badly lit painting worth hundreds or thousands of dollars when they have to lean over some poor guy trying to eat his lunch to see it.”

But Murphy, from the Bourgeois Pig, said she thinks artists appreciate having options for hanging their works in public other than full-time galleries.

“I get a lot of good submissions,” she said. “As far as artists’ opinion, this is a good place to show art.”