Comments (0) Best Gallery Store - 2012
The Hole Shop
A Dave Schubert portrait of a sloppy makeout session, anyone? Bijoux Altamirano's vision of two naked women playing vampires? Perhaps a hash pipe shaped like a jolly lawn gnome? We know where to buy them. The whitewashed storefront is easy to pass by, and the space is the size of a luxury closet, but we've picked it for best gallery store for one really important reason: It's making art fun again. We're talking about the Hole Shop at the Hole, the experimental exhibition space created by Kathy Grayson and Meghan Coleman on the Bowery. These curious works and others—a limited assortment from visiting artists—are available for purchase along with a variety of books and art magazines. The selling of actual gallery-featured pieces at anything less than Sotheby's prices has the refreshing effect of making East Village art seem accessible once more. Featured at the store was the POSTERMAT project, where local artists conspired to re-create the legendary Greene Street poster store that went out of business with the '90s. At times limited to 50 prints per artist, the works remain exclusive-feeling, but not in a jerky sort of way. 312 Bowery, 212-466-1100, blog.shopthehole.com (10012)
