(Photo by David Lewinski)

Art 101’s debut in downtown Farmington, in November of 2017, was – well – subtle.

How subtle?

One of Art 101’s classes that fall consistently had a roster of one.

“But Sophie kept that class alive,” co-owner and manager Kim Messing says with a laugh.

Part of the challenge, of course, was the art studio’s peek-a-boo location behind The Rocking Horse (now closed) and next to Neu Kombucha.

But outreach efforts, online marketing, and word-of-mouth soon brought many more kids and teens to Art 101 for (pay as you go) classes, so that now, they occasionally have to turn students away.

“That first year, we had about 80 students a week, and by the second year, we were at over a hundred a week,” says Art 101 co-owner Kevin Messing (who met wife Kim when they were both art students at Wayne State University). “ … We’ve constrained our growth because we’re so big on quality. … There’s no point in growing if the instruction’s not as good.” READ THE REST HERE