One Tasty Year – Greenwood’s funkiest gallery turns a year old

Art is boring, right?  People all dressed in black and white, examining fancy expensive pieces at a downtown gallery and sounding smarter than the average person.  It’s just dull.  And certainly not fit for a girl like me, who wears pink almost every day and enjoys a pint of beer over a glass of white wine.

But not at Tasty, a gallery on Greenwood Ave that’s often decked out in bright colors and always funky.

Tasty is approaching their first anniversary – local Greenwood resident Sheri Hauser opened the shop last March with her husband.  It was their first time opening a new business and working for themselves and was a decision years in the making.  Hauser worked in marketing for years and began putting on local art shows as a hobby – a hobby that still hasn’t stopped growing. 

The pieces in Tasty are constantly changing – this month, Hauser is featuring a “Tickled Pink” exhibit – featuring art by women only.  Next month for their anniversary is a show entitled “Heroes, Vixens and Villains” focusing on a comic book theme.  Many may have noticed the ever-changing front window display, currently decked out in Valentine’s Day colors but soon to change to match the new show.

Of the 60 or so artists currently featured inside Tasty, about 90% are from Seattle.  Right now, you can find incredible paintings by Laurie McClave, funky vases by Barry McAlister, and an amazing collection of art from Sarah Chambers called “Glitter Mortis.”

You can also find something I didn’t expect, partially hidden in a back room: a huge collection of Funko bobble head toys, many limited edition. 

But although the inventory constantly changes, Hauser hopes Tasty will remain for years to come.  It’s her dream to run this gallery for the rest of her career – but she’s not just stopping there.  She is also making it a goal to unite all the Seattle Art Walks so that information and helpful tips can be shared between the artists, and she’s working closely with the Greenwood-Phinney Chamber of Commerce to help promote more local business events and community collaboration.

The customers at Tasty come in two main varieties – first, the collector looking for specific pieces and travelling from all over the Puget Sound to find them.  Secondly, the local – like me.  Tasty is a great spot to pick out funky gifts for a special friend.  You can get great jewelry pieces, colorful pottery, and even choose from one-of-a-kind party hats.  Until you go in, you just never know what you’re going to find. 

I asked Hauser why they chose the spot they did to open up shop.  “We looked at lots of locations, from Georgetown to Belltown,” she said.  “But then we said ‘Duh’ and realized we wouldn’t be anywhere else but on Greenwood Ave.”  Hauser has lived in the neighborhood for years.  When I asked her where else she liked to shop and dine in the ‘hood, the list was almost endless – Oliver’s Twist, El Chupacabra, Frock Shop, Wish, and Pete’s Eggnest were among her favorites.

The Heroes, Vixens and Villains exhibit opens up at Tasty’s 1st Anniversary Party on Friday, March 11 from 6pm to 10pm.  This also happens to be the date of the next Art Up Phinneywood Monthly Art Walk.  Whether you’re looking for a large frame for the living room wall, or a pair of earrings that you won’t find anyone else wearing, it’s worth a stop in.  You might just find something you think is tasty.