Storyopolis: Balancing Art with Books
By Wendy Werris -- Publishers Weekly, 10/9/2008
Storyopolis, Southern California’s premier children’s art gallery and bookshop, moved from Studio City to Sherman Oaks three weeks ago and has changed its name to The Gallery at Storyopolis.
“There are three components to our company now,” said owner Matthew Abramowitz, who bought the business in 2003 from Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen. “We represent over 100 artists and illustrators who specialize in children’s art. We sell the finest illustrated books for kids. And we’re a content provider for production companies looking for innovative ideas for the children’s film and television markets.”
Abramowitz frequently travels in search of work by new artists he believes will appeal to his customers. The Gallery is currently showing work by Russian artists Andrej and Olga Dugin and Italy’s Nicoletta Ceccoli, to be followed by Alison Jay of the U.K. All of the artists featured at The Gallery also have illustrated books in print that are sold at the store.
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Robin Preiss Glasser, visiting Storyopolis |
The Gallery will continue the Storyopolis tradition of offering custom framing for the art purchased there, and creating personalized book baskets, which they are known for.
Watching the group of children assembled for Glasser’s presentation, Abramowitz shook his head and smiled. “Because of being here today, one of these kids will become a writer and another one an illustrator,” he said. “This is my favorite part about owning the store.”
