Art For Sale

Since the economy took a turn for the worst a few years back it's become quite obvious that a lot of stores & companies are struggling to survive.  Across the street from where I live is a great corner spot for a shop, but thanks to the economy nothing seems to be surviving in this location.  Maybe it's such a prime spot that no one can afford the rent???  Anyway, over the years it has hosted many shops like a bed store, teak furniture shop, temporary design outlet, and the latest, an art shop called Cobra Art Company.  I must admit, the art shop has been my favorite so far.  Why, because it was like having an art gallery across the street.  I found out that all of the artists are Dutch, so no imports.  It was fascinating, eye popping, and worthy of such a popular corner.  There were many bold pieces, ones I would love to have purchased except they were quite pricey (over €1000 per piece).  After realizing there was no way I could afford one of these unique pieces, I started wondering what normal people actually can.  This made me realize there was little chance this store would survive.  But it turns out this art isn't meant for normal consumers like me, it's meant for businesses and designers to resell.  I crossed my fingers hoping the high end furniture store next door would pull in the big spenders and the right companies keeping the store alive but unfortunately it didn't happen.  According to our neighborhood bulletin the art shop was a trial for 3 months, if it was successful it would stick around longer.  Well, 3 months is over and this passed week the company swept through the shop and cleared out the colorful collection of portraits and uniquely staged scenes.  I'm sad to see it go, I truly enjoyed watching the collection rotate.  Once again it was like visiting an art museum without having to actually pay to visit.  Apparently Cobra is quite a large company and has many dealers and displays, too bad they couldn't afford to liven up our street corner any longer!