All her life, Aleta Critchley has loved painting — but until a little more than a year ago, she never thought of herself as an artist. 

For the mother of four young children, painting nature scenes at the kitchen table was her way of relaxing and decompressing after a long day of parenting. She would occasionally gift pieces to friends and family, but had never thought to sell or exhibit them to the public until last September, when a friend recommended that she submit her work to a local artists’ space in downtown Mount Vernon called the LIDO Collective. Run by the Mount Vernon Downtown Association, this unique location provides a space for up-and-coming artists like her. 

“Other galleries felt intimidating,” she explains. ​“The LIDO Collective seemed very approachable.” 

Within her first week at the LIDO, she sold three paintings. 

The confidence she gained through showcasing her work at the LIDO propelled her to submit pieces to local and regional competitions, join other artists’ communities, and exhibit in other galleries. Today, Critchley regularly outsells other artists by more than double at competitive shows. She’s placed in the top 100 at national painting competitions. And, she’s one of the highest-selling artists at the LIDO.

Aleta’s transformation from kitchen-table hobbyist to award-winning fine artist shows how small business accelerators like the LIDO can help give entrepreneurs the confidence they need to turn passion projects into budding business initiatives. 

What is a Small Business Accelerator?

Small business accelerators are physical or virtual spaces that support individual business growth along with broader economic development. By providing emerging entrepreneurs with resources, mentorship, and market access, small business accelerators jumpstart small businesses toward successful and sustainable trajectories. Examples include pop-up shops, co-working spaces, shared commercial kitchens, business incubators, or entrepreneurial education centers.

For artists and makers, these programs often take the form of retail spaces that also offer professional education and built-in community and networking opportunities.

Launching and Sustaining a Small Business Accelerator

The LIDO Collective was born when Mount Vernon Downtown Association’s Executive Director Ellen Gamson saw how the pandemic was devastating local artists, most of whom were ineligible for small business loans. Mount Vernon is home to a rich artistic community, so she knew the downtown association had to act.

“We’d always worked closely with local artists,” Gamson explains. ​“But we kept thinking: what could we actually do to help?”

Through a nonprofit community recovery grant from the state commerce department, the downtown association found a home in a commercial office building that was once a historic theater called the LIDO. Though the property was on a corner lot in the primary retail corridor, it was occupied by a local political party which meant it was only used for a few months out of the year, and it had fallen into disrepair. 

“A secondary interest of ours was recharacterizing that space from office space to retail and something more interactive,” says Gamson.

Gamson and her team worked closely with the property owner to remodel the space. They installed all-new flooring, painted, and worked with a local lighting designer to add gallery-grade track lighting. 

However, creating a self-sustaining business model was a challenge. After its initial few years in operation, the LIDO was in danger of becoming a resource drain for the downtown association. Gamson partnered with a retail consultant to evaluate the business model to provide a plan for creating a viable path forward. Through the funding supplied by The Hartford Small Business Accelerator Grant, the team was able to implement several changes recommended in the proposal to cut costs and increase revenue, including:

• Reducing Overhead Expenses: While their original location provided significant benefits — such as visibility in a busy corridor and a newly renovated space — to cut costs, they relocated across the street into the same building as the downtown association offices. Not only do they save on rent, but they also cut utility expenses. They also have more space for art classes, artisan small business trainings, and other activities.
• Implemented E‑Commerce Enhancements: To increase sales, the team is working on upping their marketing efforts, including building out their web presence and adding artist bio pages. With the help of the grant, they are also adding an e‑commerce component by moving their point-of-sale system to one that better integrates with Shopify, which will allow them to accept payment for both in-store and online purchases.
• Optimizing Their Cooperative Model: The LIDO offers a higher-than-average consignment rate, giving 60% back to artists compared to the standard gallery rate of 50%. Now, to maintain the advantageous rate, artists must contribute in other ways. For example, offering product photography, designing window displays, or volunteering with gift-wrapping. If they’re not able or would prefer not to contribute in these alternatives, they can opt to receive a traditional gallery consignment rate of 50%. Optimizing the cooperative model also helps to reduce the costs of overhead or paying for additional marketing.

In addition to the strategic shifts to their business model laid out above, Gamson also credits the following practices as being instrumental in their success:

• Hire Trained Retail Associates: Many local artisan markets rely on participating artists as volunteers. While this is an effective way to keep operating costs down, it may discount the reality that many consumers now expect a higher level of customer service when shopping in-store. The LIDO employs trained retail associates who are focused on providing more hands-on customer service.
• Offering Educational & Community Building Experiences: The LIDO is working to add new opportunities for the community to experience the space and meet artists. Examples include artist-led classes, expert-led business coaching workshops, and, now with the grant fund implementation, monthly featured artist meet-and-greet events.

These updates and ongoing practices have allowed the LIDO to become an even stronger launching pad for artists like Aleta — and create a more vibrant arts community in Mount Vernon. 

How Small Business Accelerators Transform Communities & Launch Careers

Back in April 2022, the LIDO opened their doors with a roster of 42 local artisans. Over the three-plus years in operation, they’ve grown to 84 artists and counting.

The LIDO’s success has rippled outward into the broader community, strengthening Mount Vernon’s position as a destination for arts and culture. When the collective opened, Mount Vernon had one other gallery. Today, there are seven creative retail spaces downtown, including one operated by a former LIDO artisan.

“There’s really momentum building around our creative economy and the retail aspect of it, and I’m really proud to say we played a role in that,” says Gamson, also noting that Mount Vernon’s arts culture has been strong for years due to the efforts of many other local creative entrepreneurs. ​“We don’t get all the credit for this, but it’s definitely been a really great momentum-building experience.” 

In addition to building up the local creative economy, for individuals like Aleta looking for support before taking their passion project to the next level, small business accelerators provide an approachable and affordable space to gain confidence in their craft before launching a business.

“Being here at the LIDO has definitely helped me feel more confident,” says Aleta. ​“That I have a voice to share, and that people actually like it.”

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Downtown Decorations, a Main Street America Allied Member, is this quarter’s Main Spotlight advertiser. For more information about what they do to support Main Street organizations, click here.