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Sweet marketing music

Tanner Montague came to town from Seattle having never owned his own music venue before. He’s a musician himself, so he has a pretty good sense of good music, but he also wandered into a crowded music scene filled with concert venues large and small.But the owner of Green Room thinks he found a void in the market. It’s lacking, he says, in places serving between 200 and 500 people, a sweet spot he thinks could be a draw for both some national acts not quite big enough yet for arena gigs and local acts looking for a launching pad.“I felt that size would do well in the city to offer more options,” he says. “My goal was to A, bring another option for national acts but then, B, have a great spot for local bands to start.”Right or wrong, something seems to be working, he says. He’s got a full calendar of concerts booked out several months. How did he, as a newcomer to the market in an industry filled with competition, get the attention of the local concertgoer?

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by Andrew Tellijohn
August 2003

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Closure


Robinson closes Flatland
Gallery on her own terms
after hard look at finances

After three years Robyne Robinson, better known as a Fox 9 news anchor, has closed Flatland Gallery in northeast Minneapolis.

It was a difficult decision, she says, but it was the right one. “It was just really looking at the business environment critically and making a decision,” she says.

“While I was still doing well, it had still slowed down a little bit and I didn’t want to get into a position where I was forced to close. The lease was up, I was tired, and the economy had everything to do with it,” Robinson says.

Although the gallery space is closed, Robinson is still working in a consulting capacity for other business owners who want to pick her brain on marketing and public relations issues. In addition, she continues to represent a few artists that she established relationships with through the gallery.

And she’s not ruling out re-opening a gallery some time in the future.

“If I feel that the climate is right and I want to do it again, I will.”

Over three years, Robinson says she has learned what it takes to be a business owner, including how to know when it’s time to close.

“You’ve really got to look at all your finances very, very closely,” says Robinson. “You’ve got to look at what your competitors are doing, what your colleagues are doing, and incorporate that into your decision.”

Robinson also realized that in a tough economy, art is considered a luxury and a purchase that can be deferred. She recommends that other business owners think about whether their goods or services might be considered a luxury by their clients.

“If you’re not doing well, I’d tell people to really reconsider who your market is and if your market is one that shuts down because of this economy. You’ve got to figure out what’s going to draw them back.”

Robyne Robinson, Flatland Gallery: 612.378.3890; www.flatland-gallery.com