Paula Anderson, Hatton House Art & Design

Paula Anderson is an artist who recently opened Hatton House Art & Design gallery in Dunkeld.

Getting Started

Opening up her own gallery had been a life-long dream of Paula’s and, when the pandemic hit, this was brought into sharp focus due to receiving no financial support during lockdown and her husband being unable to work.

Initially this impacted on their wellbeing as a family, but Paula says that in the end, it was a blessing in disguise for her. “When the space became available, I decided to just go for it,” she says. “My gut feeling was that it was perfect timing.”

The Enterprise Journey

Paula’s instinct was correct, as she is finding more people are now wanting to invest in something tangible. “Art usually retains its value, or increases, so this is a positive for us. We have a few artists on a rapid trajectory who are gaining recognition and reach and we're finding our clients are investing now, knowing the artwork they have bought will see a healthy increase in value.”

All businesses involve some learning and Paula believes her biggest mistake to be purchasing large amounts of small item stock, which took away attention from the exhibiting art. But in the end she also knows what contributed to her success: “Years of self development, confidence building, learning new skills, building a brand, never taking my eye off the goal — all mixed in with a little luck and perfect timing.” 

Paula considers making a success of Hatton House Art & Design as being one of her greatest achievements, along with her two children!

Support Along the Way

Paula’s husband and children have been a great source of support to Paula, and she is also grateful to  the artists who exhibit in the gallery: “For taking a chance on me, my passion and dream and being supportive from day one.”

Paula has also had help from “amazing friends and mentors” who’ve given both pep talks and practical help, and the “free, invaluable advice” from GrowBiz. She adds, “I have benefitted from GrowBiz support for my own art career and also when starting up my art gallery. During lockdown it was invaluable to be able to connect and utilise the free workshops they offer.”

Looking To the Future

Eventually, Paula would like to open another art gallery so she can increase her artists’ portfolio. She has also always wanted to open up retreats/healing centres, with creative therapy will play a big role in this.

She would also like to hire a full time manager and an assistant. At the moment, she says, “It never stops! I am incredibly grateful to have my own art gallery but it's hard work and you have to put in a lot more hours than if you were working for someone else.”

For anyone who’d like to start their own business, Paula advises: “Learn anything you can about running a business before setting up and just go for it. With each failure, you have learned a lesson which brings you one step closer to success.”

Visit the Hatton House website at https://hattonhouseart.com/