This week, the Crier met Marla Sparks, proprietor of Art Department, which shares with Mountain Pottery the newly remodeled building at the corner of Pine Crest Avenue and Maranatha Drive, one of local developer Shane Stewart’s projects. Together, the two businesses make up a “creative corner” where locals and visitors alike will find the unexpected, an essential element in any work of art.

TC: How did you find Idyllwild?

MS: My husband and I both own the business; his name is Chris Sparks. We both grew up in LA and moved here during the pandemic, like a lot of other folk. My parents are local artists and we followed them up here with no real plans but to get out of the city and never go back. We had never lived in a small town; it’s very sweet and I love the community. I had a job doing set design and event production where I was often anonymous on set and was frequently just referred to as “Art Department” in lieu of my name, so I thought it was a fun name for the shop.

Chris and I were always talking about the niche that needed to be filled; there were so many creatives up here but no art supply store. There had been Jack Farley’s, but that was before our time. Our talking was always in the abstract, not like, “That’s going to be us!”

TC: How did the other shoe drop?

MS: This property came on the market. We felt inspired by the blank canvas (pun intended), particularly the big empty lot used for years to park on, which just had so much potential … The building had just been remodeled, it felt like a great opportunity to bring some new life to this historic corner.

TC: 100 yards from downtown is in the boonies?

MS: It’s not downtown, but you could throw a rock and hit it.

TC: And you pulled the trigger?

MS: We did. It really worked out because Helen was looking to move and she’s a wonderful neighbor; it makes it feel like a little creative corner at the edge of town.

TC: How did you figure out the mix, what to carry?

MS: We have a lot of traditional art supplies geared toward local artists with name brands people recognize. We also have a lot of DIY kits and weekend projects, great for part-timers and visitors. We get a lot of local support, including a lot of home-school kids. We carry a lot of kids’ stuff; we also have a big assortment of miniature supplies. (Shows mini-colored pencils, 1-1/2 inches long, tiny water color kit, a sketch pad to scale, tiny stationary, a 2-inch-by-2-inch canvas.)

TC: There is a surprising amount of variety here!

MS: We try to hit every category. It’s a small space but we have a little bit of everything. We have 700 square feet and try to fill up every inch with curated items that appeal to artists from all mediums and all skill levels. We make a point of trying to carry smaller brands and independent makers. We carry prints by Melissa Lakey, who grew up here. Our gifty stuff is all from smaller brands from around the world. We carry watercolors from a small brand that makes their own paint and then puts them in tree slices from their own backyard. We also do a lot of custom orders for locals, things too specific to carry. On the other hand, we get a lot of people come and say, “I don’t do this, I’m not creative, I’m not an artist.” Then they see something that clicks and they get inspired to make something. Idyllwild Arts has been very supportive, helping us ensure that we carry different things. We did a show for one of their classes recently in our Tiny Gallery.

TC: The Art Garden next door is an interesting plus. How did that come about?

MS: We contracted Kenny Gioeli for the landscaping and local Gary Parton (Alpenglow) donated some lilacs. We wanted it to be a space where people could work on art, take classes or just hang out.

TC: You offer classes?

MS: We do, weather permitting. Classes and workshops are held outside. We offer classes like watercolor, collage, weaving and lettering. We’ll have a schedule posted soon on our website as well as on our bulletin board outside.

TC: Any parting thoughts?

MS: We have loved integrating ourselves into the community. We co-host Pints in the Pines annually with Wild Idy. It’s a great family-friendly festival that celebrates local art culture with beer and live-mural painting, and benefits a different Idyllwild nonprofit each year. We’ve loved working with ARF and Living Free and really enjoy the opportunity to give back locally while having a great time doing it. This year’s festival will be Aug. 19. We feature artists from all over California, like Skye Walker, Sara M Lyons and Nicholas Danger. Dozens of breweries (backboned by Sierra Nevada and Strainge Beast Kombucha) enthusiastically support the event, which we put on with the help of local volunteers. Each year the festival has grown and we hope this year is no different. Information about the event and volunteer or sponsorship information can be found at Idyllwildpitp.com

Visit Art Department at 54240 Pine Crest Ave and www.shopartdept.com. The phone number is (951) 527-0013 and winter hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.