Prismatic Art Studio opens at new location in Charles Town

CHARLES TOWN -- Prismatic Art Studio owner Gabby Wilson cut the ribbon to her new brick-and-mortar location, at 113 West Washington Street in Charles Town, on Saturday. For Wilson, this move was seven years in the making. "We started up small, doing face painting at local events, local markets, birthday parties, things like that," Wilson said. At the time, Wilson was living and working for the federal government, in the Washington metropolitan area. She, her husband and their four kids had moved there, after her husband was restationed there by the military. It took them four years to find a place in the area where they felt like putting down roots until, by happenstance, they came across Charles Town, after going on a hike in Harpers Ferry. "We needed space. Everywhere we looked for a home in Maryland felt really tight," Wilson said, noting that along with a large family, she and her husband also have three dogs. Last year, Wilson quit her full-time job, to focus on growing her small business. She had already begun the groundwork for this, by finding Prismatic Art Studio a brick-and-mortar location inside of Corner Connection, at 108 South Samuel Street in Charles Town. Her business soon transitioned from the first floor to a more expansive space on the second floor, where she could more easily accommodate group workshops and special events, at the beginning of January. Yet she soon realized, by the end of that month, that Prismatic Art Studio was outgrowing its space and needed a stand-alone location -- preferably still in Charles Town. "We had a lot of customers in Loudon County, but we really wanted something that was more local, so that families in Charles Town could afford to do art -- it's so important -- and to also serve the community we're actually living in," Wilson said. "We wanted to be in a place with the small-town feel that we loved, which we had found when we first came to Charles Town." The art makerspace is twice the size of its former location, enabling much room for growth, in the kinds of workshops and events being held there and in the number of participants that can be accommodated with each activity. Room is also available for private art projects to be worked on, in the same space, and for an art sales area to be established at the front of the business. Any of the teachers that operate out of Prismatic Art Studio are welcome to sell their arts and crafts there. "It's amazing -- a beautiful and welcoming space," Wilson said. "It's a fun, vibrant space where community can gather together and have a good time." For those saddened at the thought of a business moving into the former home of what was fondly known as "The Pink Store," Wilson said the location will permanently pay homage to its predecessor. "We left a pink sliver right here in the door," Wilson said. "I couldn't take it all away. I needed to leave a sliver of the pink right there -- it was one of the first businesses to welcome me into the area." Prismatic Art Studio is open on Mondays and Wednesdays, from 11 a.m, to 6 p.m.; on Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; and on Fridays, from 4-8 p.m. To learn more, visit https://prismaticwv.com/ or call 304-616-9596.