Interview with Jolene Mechanic of Phil Mechanic Studios

Jolene Mechanic — Phil Mechanic Studios and Flood Gallery Fine Art Center

When Jolene and her husband inherited the Phil Mechanic building from her husband’s late father, they had options.  The old, industrial-style, 4-storey brick building sits in the heart of Asheville’s River Arts District.  They went back and forth about whether to take advantage of the building’s industrial qualities or become a part of the thriving arts culture around them.  In the end they did both.

They decided to rent out spaces to area artists and very quickly had their first tenant, but they weren’t artists.  Jolene was approached by some folks wanting starting a new business and the ground floor became home to Blue Ridge Biofuels.  As many entrepreneurs will attest, with the birth of this new venture came challenges.  Allowing the new tenant drew the attention of city officials and the requirement of building updates before more tenants were allowed.  With $300,000 in renovations behind her, Jolene opened the building up to the arts community.  Now home to over 12 artists, the building has become a hub of creative activity.

As we chatted over lunch, Jolene shared that her real passion is sharing the arts with the larger community in hands-on and interactive ways.  She pioneered the Flood Gallery, which is a non-profit contemporary art organization dedicated to bringing excellent, provocative art to Asheville from artists working around the world.  She funnels the proceeds from studio rentals to fund programming and shows in the Flood Gallery.

I’m impressed by Jolene’s boundless energy and willingness to drop what she’s doing to help me out.  Her enthusiasm is contagious and we quickly fall into an easy conversation about our respective dreams and plans.  She cautions me not to fall victim to the influence of people who try to stifle creativity and good ideas.  “Anything is possible,” she says, “if you can see it, it’s possible.”

She admits that the financial realm is her least favorite part of the business, so she surrounds herself with folks who are strong in this area.  Her sister comes to help out every Friday, making sure books are balanced and bills are paid.  We talk about what she did before they inherited the building and she recalls how working in a job that doesn’t feed her soul was crippling.  As others I’ve interviewed counseled, she insists that entrepreneurs MUST do something they love (especially since it will consume most of your waking hours).

As we ended our lunch, she urged me to stay in touch and call her if I have any more questions or need her help.  Thanks so much, Jolene!