Today we’d like to introduce you to Melissa Hillis.
Hi Melissa, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
We opened as a sole member, LLC in September 2019 – six months before the pandemic. This caused our establishment to close our doors and relocate several times. We were determined to keep it going when it was designated safe to continue performing services on the public so I saved all the profit from the year 2020 and opened the studio in April 2021. One year from the time that we initially had the mandates first put in place. We were very grateful for this chance of a lifetime to represent the art community in such a substantial way. This is my hometown so to be a staple of the community which recognized the significance of the art industry was truly an honor. With the expansion of our studio location, we were able to offer seven artists a position to follow their dreams pursuing art to feed their families and provide for themselves. This was a life-changing experience for me and I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Nothing worth it ever comes easily they say. We have had a handful of obstacles primarily being the pandemic causing some disruption. Although we did not allow it to cause us to get discouraged and have pushed forward towards a positive future. We hope to continue to overcome the odds.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I, personally, perform body piercings. We also sell high-quality, hypoallergenic, affordable high-end jewelry. I specialize in more intricate projects like dermal piercings and some of the more ornate styles of adornment. Lots of the usual ear projects and things like that also. The artists at the studio are so multi-faceted in their talents that they can take on a diversity of styles and really make it their own. We value all that they bring to the table and without them, it truly would not have become the art collective we dreamed to be. We offer a comfortable place where any day of the week the city is welcome to share space with us.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
What makes me the happiest is seeing the artists exceed their own expectations. To give them a place where they are valued and as a team, we push each other to keep following our dreams. Even if they felt they could not accomplish this on their own that they have a support system regardless of what they consider success.
Pricing:
- Piercings – $50+
- Tattooing – $100+
- Aftercare – $15+
- Merch – $20+
Contact Info:
- Email: Goldalchemyarts@gmail.com
- Website: Goldalchemyarts.com
- Instagram: Instagram.com/goldalchemyarts
- Facebook: Facebook.com/goldalchemyarts
