Against the odds: Downtown London art shop hits 30-year milestone

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On a downtown London business stretch known for turnover, one art store has drawn its own line – and stuck to it.

Bijan’s Art Studio, an art supplies store on Richmond Row, marked its 30th anniversary this month. Owner and artist Bijan Ghalehpardaz launched the business in 1995 as a studio, gradually growing it to meet demand.

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“I was painting there, and people came in and asked me, ‘I want to get some art supplies,’ so that’s how I started,” he said. “I got a little bit of art supplies and gradually expanded on it.”

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Originally located at Dundas and Adelaide streets, the store moved several times before settling on Richmond Row in 2001. Ghalehpardaz said the key to his three decades of success is the support of his community.

“It feels amazing. I’m proud but, at the same time, I’m very grateful for the community. They’ve been supporting me. Without the people, without the community, the business means nothing.”

Big-box retailing, online shopping, economic downturns including the 2008 recession – independent retailers in Canada have faced many headwinds over the past three decades.

The London shop has also weathered its share of challenges. Just getting business credit to get going, and affordable rent, was a hurdle in the early years, Ghalehpardaz said.

One of the toughest challenges was the COVID-19 pandemic. With in-person shopping halted, Ghalehpardaz kept the business running through online and phone orders.

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“That was a tough 2 1/2 years for us, really tough,” he said. “There was no business . . . I had to work four or five hours extra every day to deliver stuff to people and the sales went down.”

Recovery came slowly, just as it had in the business’s early years.

Kathy McLaughlin, manager of business development at the Downtown London Business Association, said Richmond Row hospitality businesses have increasingly outpaced retail on Richmond Row during the last 30 years. However, Bijan’s business has endured.

“Every artist I know talks about Bijan’s,” she said. “Folks like Bijan and others know who their customers are, and they really do cater to the needs of their customers; that’s how they last so long.”

At its start, Ghalehpardaz’s shop welcomed five customers a day, he said. Now, it sees between 50 to 200, depending on the season.

“I’m not there to take money,” he said. “I’m there to serve and take care of them.”

Ghalehpardaz isn’t ready to close the sketchbook on his business just yet, but when he does, he said hopes to pass it on to someone who shares his passion.

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