Artist and bookstore owner hopes to bring communities together
R. Gregory Christie said he wants patrons to think of his Perimeter Mall shop, GAS-Art Gifts Children’s Bookstore, primarily as a bookstore although he said it’s much more. “It’s an art shop and studio as well, but my goal is to help people see art and books in a new way. I want to bring the community together through art and literacy.”
Christie is an award-winning artist who has illustrated more than 60 children’s books and continues to illustrate at a rate of two to three books a year. He has received such recognitions as the NAACP Image Award and his art was selected by the U.S. Postal Service for its Kwanzaa stamp.
“My art is for everyone,” Christie said, “but I think it’s especially important for children of color to see illustrations of people who look like them. The largest segment of my customer base is Black grandmothers. They are so excited to see books with positive images of Black children. They remember when the Dick and Jane books that featured only White children were the standard. Many of them say they had a hard time finding books with children of color when they were children or even when they were raising their children. Now they’re truly delighted to find them for their grandchildren. “
Christie opened his shop in 2012 in North DeKalb Mall and moved earlier this year to Perimeter Mall. “I just wasn’t getting the volume of foot traffic I need at North DeKalb Mall. Art and books are often impulse purchases. People usually don’t wake up in the morning thinking ‘I’m going to go looking for some art today’ or ‘I think I’ll look for a book today.’ They see something they like and decide to buy it,” he said.
Because the Perimeter Mall store has not been as busy as Christie had hoped, another move is planned for 2019. “Some changes are being made at Stonecrest with a focus on sports and attracting families. I think that might be the right place for me,” Christie said, adding that he plans to open there in February. He said if that store fails to bring the volume of business he needs, he may conclude that Georgia is wrong place for his concept.
“It’s a sound concept,” Christie said, explaining that he believes interesting illustrations will get children interested in reading. “I want them to pick something up because it’s visually appealing then become interested in the story. Children today need more quiet activities such as reading and painting,” he added.
The GAS in the store name was a whim, Christie said. A fellow artist called him gregarious, “so it could be gregarious art statements or great art statements or great art store,” he suggested with a laugh.
The books Christie illustrated are available in his store along with other judiciously chosen selections. “I am careful about what I choose for my store. I want to be careful about the subject matter. I don’t choose on a political basis, but I think of this as a specialty store with a focus on history and culture,” he said. All his books are from traditional publishers, he noted. “People ask me to carry their self-published books on consignment, but that would make me a different kind of store. That’s not what I want to do right now.”
Although he doesn’t sell self-published books, workshops for people wanting to create and bind their own books are among his shop’s services along one-on-one art instruction and painting classes, including sip and paint sessions. Christie said he caters to all ages and skill levels.
In addition to books, GAS-Art Gifts Children’s Bookstore offers art, framed and unframed. All the store’s art is Christie’s work or that of his wife, who is also an artist. Many are pieces that have illustrated books. “One day we may sell the work of guest artists, but that’s after I become a bigger business. You have to crawl before you walk,” Christie said. He said by featuring his own work he controls the prices. “I want the art to be affordable,” he said. “I want children to be able to pick something they like and for the parents to be able to buy it for the child’s wall.”
