Our director, Dominic Robinson, is a contributing writer at The Post-Standard. In his second article, he writes about an innovative partnership between artists and entrepreneurs bringing new energy and a fresh perspective to the North Side neighborhood.
The first time Briana Kohlbrenner came to the North Side, she says she felt at home. She sees a lot of the same qualities here that she sees in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, where she grew up. “I love the diversity of cultures and businesses,” she says.
I met Briana in the spring of 2009 at a 40 Below event, where she was describing her dream of opening her own art consignment shop and gallery. The Northside Collaboratory (now Northside UP) had recently converted a vacant storefront into a temporary art gallery. Our ultimate goal was to attract someone else into the space, and Briana was just the type of person we had in mind. We pitched her on the idea that night. Six months later, she opened Craft Chemistry, where she showcases and sells merchandise from local artists. The store will celebrate its third anniversary this fall, however improbable that once might have seemed.
Read the full article on syracuse.com
