As you may have guessed, our name is inspired by mercury head dimes, but also Mercury; the Roman god of commerce and the messenger. The tie-in here is that artists are messengers, sharing ideas, perspectives, and stories.
Artist Ben Perrin opened MercuryHead Gallery in our current location in October of 1999 as a gallery space to represent local artists. Over the years, our business and our space have evolved; shortly after opening, Ben used his experience in quality craftsmanship carpentry to expand into custom framing. Laury came to work alongside Ben in 2007 assisting in frame design, managing the front end, and adding her photo restoration services to the business. In 2012, we began printing in-house to better serve artists and photographers, corporate clients, and our everyday customers looking to reproduce their images, photography, and keepsakes into quality prints and wall décor.
Constant from the beginning is our dedication to high quality products, customer service, and our community. Laury is fond of saying, “There are two things I have never heard Ben say, and they are, ‘I can’t’ and ‘good enough’. He has high standards and that is why we all like working with and learning from him; he pushes us to do our best.” Above all, we live by Ben’s philosophy that you don’t have to be miserable while making a living; we work hard and take pride in our work, we don’t hate Mondays and we don’t live for Fridays, we treat our customers the way we would like to be treated, and through all that, we have made countless friends and met so many incredible people.
Uptown Updates, Spring 2021
https://uptowngr.com/uptown-updates-spring-2021/
Business: MercuryHead Gallery
What: One-of-a-kind framing and print service company offering expert advice and counsel on all your art and photo preservation needs, with a “mom-n-pop” small shop approach.
Location: 962 Fulton St E, Grand Rapids, MI 49503
Interviewee: Laury Baker, Management
When, how, and where did you begin?
Ben Perrin, owner, opened MercuryHead Gallery in October of 1999, in the location we are at today.
Who operates the shop currently?
Ben manages the frame shop where he chops and joins custom picture frames in-house. I manage the front end and our printing department. This includes creating reproductions of artists works, photo restoration, personal photo printing, and full photo editing services. We both work with our customers on frame design. We also have one additional professional picture framer and one photoshop expert.
What clientele do you service, types of projects do you do, services do you offer?
We do work for businesses, organizations, individuals from all over West Michigan, and several out-of-staters. Custom picture framing for everything you could possibly think of. Printing services offered include fine art reproductions, photo restorations, and snapshots, onto canvas, fine art papers, and photo papers. Many people come to us for reproducing old family photos or to create large prints of their own art or photography, including cellphone photos. We work with local artists making digital images of their original works and producing art prints for them to sell through the farmers market, art fairs, and their Esty sites.
What are some of your favorite things about being a business located in Uptown?
The location is great in that it pulls from all the outskirts and a large walkable customer base. The process of restoring our space to its original beauty was a labor of love. It has been great to see and be part of the transformation of this district becoming a safe and viable area again.
We are grateful for all the support making it possible for us to do something we believe in and are passionate about. The great relationships that have formed along the way; both customers and fellow entrepreneurs is one of the things we love most about being a local business.
https://uptowngr.com/uptown-updates-spring-2021/
Business: MercuryHead Gallery
What: One-of-a-kind framing and print service company offering expert advice and counsel on all your art and photo preservation needs, with a “mom-n-pop” small shop approach.
Location: 962 Fulton St E, Grand Rapids, MI 49503
Interviewee: Laury Baker, Management
When, how, and where did you begin?
Ben Perrin, owner, opened MercuryHead Gallery in October of 1999, in the location we are at today.
Who operates the shop currently?
Ben manages the frame shop where he chops and joins custom picture frames in-house. I manage the front end and our printing department. This includes creating reproductions of artists works, photo restoration, personal photo printing, and full photo editing services. We both work with our customers on frame design. We also have one additional professional picture framer and one photoshop expert.
What clientele do you service, types of projects do you do, services do you offer?
We do work for businesses, organizations, individuals from all over West Michigan, and several out-of-staters. Custom picture framing for everything you could possibly think of. Printing services offered include fine art reproductions, photo restorations, and snapshots, onto canvas, fine art papers, and photo papers. Many people come to us for reproducing old family photos or to create large prints of their own art or photography, including cellphone photos. We work with local artists making digital images of their original works and producing art prints for them to sell through the farmers market, art fairs, and their Esty sites.
What are some of your favorite things about being a business located in Uptown?
The location is great in that it pulls from all the outskirts and a large walkable customer base. The process of restoring our space to its original beauty was a labor of love. It has been great to see and be part of the transformation of this district becoming a safe and viable area again.
We are grateful for all the support making it possible for us to do something we believe in and are passionate about. The great relationships that have formed along the way; both customers and fellow entrepreneurs is one of the things we love most about being a local business.
