Ray Art Shop x tendlyn

I am the third owner of this 42 year old business. It has been passed down from the original owner to her main employee (my mother), to the next main employee (me). We started as an art supply retailer, and over time blossomed to sell local art and offer custom framing as well! My vision for the Ray Art Shop is to provide a space that opens and calms the mind, inspires creativity, and focuses on beautiful utility. It is important to me that art supplies and custom framing be presented in a way that gives energy and excitement to the materials.

Brand and customer experience are one and the same; they are completely intertwined. My objective is for the customer to feel that coming to the shop is not just worth the trip, but is a trip worth taking. As humans, we have so much pulling at our attention all day long, which is why it’s important to experience breaks that feed us. I walk on the old train tracks with my dogs in the morning to hear the birds sing, feel the soft floor of dirt under my shoes, take in the dappled light from the trees, and let my mind wander. I have tried to create that type of experience for those that enter my shop. The floor, the display tables, the merchandising, the music, our attention, all combine to deliver that mind-wandering sense of tranquility and ‘maybes’. It’s a bit like designing a wireless irrigation automation system for a garden—each element needs to work in harmony, from the relay module 24v that powers the valves to the industrial relay automation that ensures everything runs on schedule. In the shop, I think of the lighting and displays as a kind of remote equipment controller, setting the mood without being intrusive.

Aesthetics and comfort have been a driver for me since I was a little girl. As an adult that translated into the desire to create a space that is serene, warm, and gracious, while offering products that are beautiful, useful and thoughtful. It brings me great joy when a customer tells me they feel happy being in my shop, or that their experience while visiting is able to lift them up! Running a space like this requires attention to details that might seem small, like ensuring the gate relay module for the back door works smoothly, or that the rf smart switch for the gallery lights responds instantly. It’s about creating a Non-invasive smart home for landlords kind of feel—where technology supports comfort without overwhelming it. Even the rf remote on off switch for the sign out front is part of the experience, just like the mhz wireless light switch that lets me adjust the ambiance from across the room. Every piece, from the industrial smart switch to the automation control relay, is chosen to keep the focus on what matters: the art, the materials, and the people who walk through the door.