By Randy Tucker
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Charlotte Iliff adjusts lights in the art gallery section of her shop, Flower Garden Florist, in Cheviot. The gallery has grown to become a major attraction for customers. (Mike Simons photo) | ZOOM |

For several Greater Cincinnati business owners, art not only imitates life, it helps them earn a living.

Businesses ranging from hair salons to flower shops to wineries have opened their doors to local artists, whose work attracts art lovers who need a haircut or a bouquet of flowers.

The strategy has helped boost sales and foot traffic for retailers who support the arts and created additional retail venues for local artists put off by the high commissions charged by art galleries.

Flower Garden Florist on Harrison Avenue in Cheviot has dedicated about a third of its retail space to selling original art created on site by seven local artists, said Charlotte Iliff, who owns the shop with her husband, Jim.

"I wanted to do something to give our customers more than one reason to make our shop a destination,'' Mrs. Iliff said. "It really has done wonders in driving flower sales. People see the combination of how the two (flowers and art) fit together, and they'll buy a vase to put flowers in or a picture to accent a silk flower arrangement.''

The featured artists are all seasoned professionals whose work includes oil paintings, pastel drawings, woodcarvings, ceramics and porcelain pieces, ranging in price from under $100 to more than $4,000.

Mrs. Iliff said opening the art gallery was a "natural progression'' for her and her husband.

"We're both artists, and on days when it was kind of slow, we'd do some work,'' she said. "I'd paint, and he'd draw (graphite on paper drawings). People would come in to watch us work and sometimes buy flowers. Now it (art gallery) is a big part of the business.''

The couple plan to promote their flower shop and gallery with an open house on the first Friday of every month, beginning Nov. 7.

It's a marketing scheme that already has paid dividends for a handful of businesses in Covington's MainStrasse Village in the past two years.

The businesses, including Reverie Therapeutic massage parlor, Otto's Deli and Noah's Art hair salon, come together to host a "gallery hop'' from business to business on the first Friday of every month.

Shawn Masters, who co-owns Noah's Art with the business' namesake, Noah Kidd, said they've been participating in the gallery hop since March.

The event is designed primarily to "educate" the public and showcase the work of local artists, who pay a "small" commission on the sale of their work, which is displayed on the walls of the hair salon, Masters said.

Revenues generated from the commissions help cover the cost of advertising for Noah's Art, and the artwork creates added appeal for customers who may spend hours in the salon.

"We feature a variety of artists every month, from amateur photographers doing black-and-white photos to acrylics and water colors,'' he said. "The art provides our customers with a different environment to come into every month, and it also increases walk-in traffic from people passing by.''

Increased exposure is perhaps the biggest benefit of incorporating art in a retail environment, Reverie Therapeutic owner Danielle Eulitt said.

"It's a simple and uncomplicated way for businesses to get people to walk in the door,'' Eulitt said. "People who wouldn't necessarily have come into the massage parlor, will come in to see the artwork and later buy gifts or make appointments.''

E-mail rtucker@enquirer.com