While living in Hollywood several years ago, Robert Silverman spent many days as a recluse inside his apartment. He had a severe case of agoraphobia—or the fear of open spaces—which kept him from going outside. He was what people called a “shut-in,” according to Silverman.
He moved to Santa Maria to live with his family and checked himself into the Recovery Learning Center as a way to try and overcome his phobia. The learning center falls under the umbrella of Transitions Mental Health Association, TMHA, which operates in both San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties. The association runs Growing Grounds farms in SLO and Santa Maria, and opened the Growing Grounds Gallery and Gifts shop in October 2014.
Silverman began managing the new shop on Feb. 4. The gallery sells a variety of items: paintings, jewelry, handmade soaps, knitted hats and scarves, ceramics, crafts, and locally grown succulents. All of the products are made or grown by patients in the TMHA system. By having patients make the items that are sold in the shop, Silverman said it gives them a vocation to focus on. The intent is to break the stigma attached to mental illness, he said.
“It’s a lot of people feeling useful again,” Silverman said. “This is a great way to reintegrate back into society.”
It’s the second retail shop operated by TMHA. The other is located in San Luis Obispo, but that one has a heavy emphasis on selling plants, rather than art. TMHA also runs a farm on Foster Road. Silverman refers to the farm as “horticultural therapy.”
The products in the store range from $2 friendship bracelets to $100 pieces of fine art. The artist gets to decide their price, and they also get a 60 percent cut of the proceeds; the remaining 40 percent goes back into the system to help create more jobs and programs. About 20 artists work for the gallery in Santa Maria, Silverman said, adding that the gallery accepts artwork from anybody in the mental health system.
Silverman said the opportunity he has to work at the gallery is a blessing. He supervises as many as four people at a time.
“Because of TMHA, I have been able to work for the first time in 18 years,” he said. “That’s a big deal.”
In May, the gallery will be hosting the Art of Recovery, a show that will feature new works of art. The date has not yet been determined, but Silverman said it would soon be posted on the gallery’s Facebook page.
Growing Grounds Gallery and Gifts is located at 225 E. Inger Drive, Suite 101 B, in Santa Maria. The gallery is open Wednesdays through Fridays from 2:30 to 5 p.m. and on Saturdays from noon to 5 p.m. For more information, call 623-5027.
Biz Highlights
• Cue Ball, a new billiards venue in Lompoc, celebrated its opening with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Feb. 22. The venue holds up to eight billiard tables and is open to customers ages 14 and up. Table rates range from $5 to $11. Every Tuesday, however, teens from 14 to 17 years old can play for free between 2:30 and 5:30 p.m. Cue Ball is open from 1 to 10 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday, 12:30 to 10 p.m. on Thursday, and 12:30 p.m. to 2 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Cue Ball is located at 816 East Ocean Ave. Call 250-6181 for more information.
• The Santa Maria Manufacturers Association is holding a tour of the Santa Maria Valley Railroad on March 24 from 7:30 to 9 a.m. The tour is being organized to raise awareness of the manufacturing industry in Santa Maria. The tour is open to anyone, but they must RSVP to register@santamaria.com. For more information, call Santa Maria Economic Development Director Dave Cross at 925-2403, Ext. 817, or email at edc@santamaria.com.
Staff Writer David Minsky wrote this week’s Biz Spotlight. Information should be sent to the Sun via fax, email, or mail.
This article appears in Feb 26 – Mar 5, 2015.