Crunchy credit and luxury goods

One thing I have realised in the past 6 months. Credit is crunchy. Its brittle and fragile; its no longer cheap or perhaps no longer there. The mounting bad debt meant the banks tightened their purse strings in line with their sphincters. Cue stock market crash, rising unemployment and a global recession. What a great time to open an art gallery. Maybe it is, maybe it isn't.
What I know from buying and selling stocks is that you should never run with the crowd. You're already looking at the ground rushing towards you with the other lemmings if you do that. By the time you have sold, the losses have been realised and you are likely to have lost on the rebound. The art industry at all levels has not been immune to the crash in the FTSE and DOW.
On November 6th Christies had a load of lovely paintings by Picasso, Monet, Renoir and Braques up for sale. The whole lot was expected to sell over £10 million. Of the 10 pieces auctioned, 6 were returned to their owners and the ones that sold brought in less than £1 million. Okay so this is at the top end and features buyers whose jewellery alone could feed Africa for a year. If the past masters are struggling to sell, what hope is there for other contemporary artists?
Well there is good news and more good news. Firstly companies (even art galleries) can change what they sell and how they sell it. Tesco has changed its product mix to include more of their basic range. Supermarkets have also started to inform customers of how their products go together. Genius, feed your family for a fiver. Like Tesco, mooch has changed its offering. Introducing the "Collectibles" means people can buy original art from £30 which is less than a print from a high street store. We still focus on original artwork but see it as an introduction to buying into the artist. I see it as a trip to the cinema to see whether it takes your fancy rather than blowing a fortune on a posh meal or a holiday. The second bit of good news is that the economy will recover, as will peoples bank balances. It is always darkest just before the dawn. Maybe what people need is something to brighten up their day and inject some life into their homes.

Affordable art show

Mooch art is putting some really affordable work on its wall. Its all going off on the 15th November. A saturday when we should all be thinking about getting prezzies for our friends and family. I go from last minute christmas frenzied shopping one year to a mass blitz in one session a month before the next. Without a highly specific list I just wander aimlessly drifting in and out of shops that make me feel like I don't belong. It ends in a strop, frustrated snap at my partner and a mature stomp off to the car.
The pressure is to buy something thoughtful, memorable and make someone smile. Even now I receive lists that specify the item, the size, the colour which leaves nothing to chance. Why not go onto amazon, order the lot and do a bank transfer from relative to relative at the end of it all. Where's the surprise, where's the thing that makes people smile because its just something they would never have even considered, but love it all the same.
Art is thoughtful, actually art can be anything you want it to be. For presents though we don't want to blow the bank. So here cometh the affordable art show from Mooch origin. When we say really affordable its from £30 to £300. We are selling mini canvasses still lovingly painted by our artists and set upon a tiny easel that makes a great original desktop work of art. We are also selling wall art that you can buy for others with the assurance that you can return it if it isn't quite right after a 6 week period.
So come along to Mooch on Saturday the 15th you just might find a present to treasure.

Mooch Art
88 Oldham Street
Manchester
M4 1LF