Courtesy / Lisbon Artist Collective
Lisbon Art Works will cut the ribbon this Friday at 14 Main St. in Lisbon Falls.
Updated: October 10, 2023
Lisbon Falls looks to liven downtown with launch of artisan store
Courtesy / Lisbon Artist Collective
Lisbon Artist Collective President Kelsie Vosburgh is the store manager at Lisbon Art Works.
After years of development, a retail store featuring products from local artisans will open this week in the Androscoggin County town of Lisbon. Lisbon Art Works will cut a ribbon at the store in a culmination of the group's efforts to promote the arts and artists.
“Not only is this store an opportunity to support local artists by providing them with a place to sell their work, but it’s a place in our community where people can view and be inspired by art,” said Kelsie Vosburgh, president of the Lisbon Artist Collective and manager of Lisbon Art Works.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled for Friday, 3 p.m., in front of the store, which is at 14 Main St. in Lisbon Falls. A grand opening will be held Saturday, during the “Fall in the Falls” Art Walk from noon to 8 p.m.
The idea for the store came about in 2020, when Lisbon was selected as one of three pilot communities to receive grant funding from the Maine Community Foundation, with the support of the Maine Downtown Center and National Main Street Center, to analyze the current need and plan and implement a program for supporting entrepreneurs in the community.
Several options were identified. But roadblocks — including the pandemic, property access and personnel changes — forced a new course.
That’s when Ross Cunningham, Lisbon’s economic and community development director, identified a need for local artisans, who worked from their homes, to have access to retail space.
Courtesy / Lisbon Artist Collective
Work from various artists will be featured at Lisbon Art Works.
Earlier this year, Cunningham gathered a group of artisans to discuss options. The group quickly decided to form a nonprofit they would call the Lisbon Artist Collective. The nonprofit would promote the arts in Lisbon and support Lisbon artists through holding classes and offering retail space.
Since then, the collective has connected with over 50 local artists and worked to develop the project. It is now holding a variety of classes at the Lisbon Library.
Now, the opening of the store is a significant step forward, noted Vosburgh.
Collaboration is key
The collective will support artists and makers in connecting with other makers, joining in collaborative marketing opportunities and selling products in the store.
“This project is a direct result of the findings of the entrepreneur ecosystem audit that Lisbon recently completed,” said Maine Development Foundation’s Maine Downtown Center Program Director Anne Ball.
The collective is operating under a partnership with the Lewiston Auburn Metropolitan Chamber Foundation.
“We know that a vibrant art community contributes to a strong local economy, acting as a driver for retail, culture, and visitation,” said the foundation’s president and CEO, Shanna Cox.
The store joins other recent arts-related additions to the community, including the Work in Progress Art Studio at 52 Lisbon St. and the development of an outdoor event venue for live music called Worumbo Riverfront Event Center.
According to the town’s downtown vision plan from 2014, downtown Lisbon Falls is “perfectly situated” at the juncture of several vectors: the Androscoggin River, Route 196 and the growing Lisbon Trail System and future regional rail-trail.
A goal is to maintain the historic Main Street and surrounds as a walkable, traditional, mixed-use downtown.
“Lisbon is a very vibrant and growing community and we are passionate about growing the arts in Lisbon,” said Cunningham, who added that the community is “looking forward to being recognized as an arts and culture destination.”
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