More than 11 years after Tempe artist Jessica Jordan opened up Wet Paint Artist Supply on Ash Avenue, she says she's decided to change direction.
"Due to increased corporate competition and their massive buying power, and more people buying online, it has been harder and harder to maintain this small independent art supply," she wrote Tuesday afternoon on Wet Paint's Facebook page.
"I couldn't have asked for a more wonderful group of friends and time spent here at Wet Paint, but it's with a heavy heart that I have decided to shut down the business. I have been fighting this for years now; I have such a strong sense of identity associated with this place."
In addition to selling art supplies, Wet Paint hosted Final Friday gallery shows, the B-Side Gallery, and Attic Records. It's also been home to local artists/employees Adam Dumper, Preston Graves, and Chet Lawton (who, full disclosure, I'm related to).
Jordan says her own future includes finishing her bachelor's and master's degrees in Horticulture and Restoration Ecology, and that the future of the location will rest in the hands of new owners from New Mexico-based spray paint company LA Underground, who will be reopening the doors (under their own name) with a full stock of graffiti art supplies and clothing this fall.
All merchandise will be on sale now through July 1. Jordan says plans for a closing party are in the works.
Wet Paint is at 806 S. Ash Ave in Tempe. For more information, check out the shop's website.
