Today we’d like to introduce you to Michelle Gallagher.
Hi Michelle, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
Raised in Southwest Louisiana, surrounded with southern hospitality and traditions, I began as a young child enjoying and sharing the passion and joy of entertaining with my family …who always seem to be celebrating something!
Starting with the influences and love of my maternal grandmother and aunt, I formed my values on faith, family, and hospitality. Whether it was a casual crawfish boil on a Friday, cocktails and hor d’oeuvers on Saturday evening, or formal lunch on Sunday, they entertained and displayed southern hospitality at its best!
Over the years, I watched and joined in as my parents and other family and friends carried on these traditions! I not only appreciated all the attention to details and “personal touches” that create the memories, I began to realize I had the gift of organization, an artful eye, passion for hospitality, and entertaining and curating artful pieces to create the settings.
After a 25-year career in wholesale marketing and merchandising (lead fashion merchandising, marketing teams for Emanuel Ungaro, Anne Klein, and Colombia Sportswear Outdoor Apparel), I spent many years doing volunteer marketing for non-profit organizations and other volunteering with my daughter’s school and our church parish. During those years, I began to travel lots and would always looked for unique functional local artists’ pieces (with great stories) to use for entertaining, gifting, and admiring-
As my daughter grew up, I began dreaming of opening a small gallery/boutique on the Gulf Coast (far from Houston) that would feature these same kind of artists pieces… Realistically, that would never happen since my husband and I live in Houston, and my daughter was still in school here also…but I kept dreaming of opening something and manifesting and planning a “someday” …Through a serendipitous meeting in 2019 with a long-time neighbor and friend at a bible study, this little “dream venture” became a reality!
Clemencia Larrimore, my business partner and extremely talented artist, had been designing and creating reverse hand-painted acrylic art trays and other pieces for years (with her mom) and doing the Bayou City Art Show and a few small markets. We had lunch, and I shared my “dream venture” with her and asked if she was interested in starting a little business
The concept would be incorporating her acrylic functional art pieces with other artists I curate to create an exclusive artist collection used for entertaining, gifting, and admiring. We excitedly decided to start it based here and in Round Top, TX since she owns a home there and the HUGE Bi-annual shows were perfect retail venues for us, as well as many POP-UP markets in Houston. The brand TRÉ was created in my mind as a play on the word trés (Spanish for 3-since her mom originally helped painting the trays also) and for tray- and there is a private spiritual meaning of our logo also – I worked with a friend who was a retired graphic designer to create our logo TRÉ for the gathering
We found great success at The Arbors in Round Top from Oct 2019-2021, creating a lovely outdoor venue, including a cabana bar that was always “serving our clients.” In January 2022, we opened our permanent gallery in Round Top (TRÉ- The Gallery) and love sharing our collection in an elegant, peaceful, artful environment year-round- with a bar cart still always serving:). We also launched our website in 2022. All of our artists have incredible stories and life journeys, and we are one solid team of strong talented artists creating an ever-evolving collection!
Last year I headed up the start-up of our wholesale division, and we have experienced some success there, and we have recently signed on with a Dallas Showroom to hopefully grow our prescence in hotels, day spas as well as retailers.
Clemencia is originally from Bogeta Colombia, and was important to both of us to support her native culture. She works closely with small groups of local artists who create elegant and whimsical pieces from tagua seeds, calabash gourds, and hand-crafted exquisite, beaded jewelry.
From the beginning, we knew part of our mission would always include giving back opportunities. We align with many local non-profit organizations, but we have created a wonderful and very special collaboration with Autism Rescue Angels and their founder Dr. Lisa Graham Garza… She found us and fell in love with the ceramic gold pieces designed and created by one of our exclusive artist and together, they designed an exclusive piece for her organization. All profits from these pieces go directly to the organization.
It’s clearly my joy and passion, as well as Clemencia’s, to share our hospitality and gifts with our family and friends and now our CLIENTS!! We create the feeling of a “gathering” in our gallery and our POP-UP Shows!
Clemencia creates the beauty in all ways, and I use my education and career experience in visual merchandising and marketing to bring the product to you!!!
We enjoy collaborating with artisans to create a hand-curated collection that enhances her works and offer you endless items for your gatherings, home décor, and elegant gifts
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Of course, NOT :))))
Build-Outs- our “outdoor gallery space in a tent” – making it feel elegant and then dealing with the weather elements…wind, rain, heat… oh it was fun, but oh, we had some scary times with wind and rain, tents leaking, etc.
Mistakes with fabricators, pieces we thought would sell far better-working thru inventory
Personalities-
Gallery location- getting customers to find us in a new location
Supply Chain – pricing – overseas production –
Learning CURVE on accounting, website, selling tools/marketing, POS (Shopify, Square)
Long hours and days since we are just 2 women doing it ALL
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Clemencia Larrimore, co-owner of TRÉ, is our main artist in the collection. She designs and reverse hand paints on acrylic trays, charcuterie boards, coasters, and other special pieces. We then send these originals to be photographed by a fabulous art photographer in Houston (Rick Wells) and he sends high-res electronic files to our giclée print producer, who prints them directly onto the acrylic functional art pieces. Hand Painted originals are available in some pieces, such as charcuterie boards, which we sell extremely well with our “cheese mice and cheese knives” and “accent bowls made of gourds” (all from Colombian artists)
Clemencia finds most of her inspiration from her Colombian roots, which is always based in vibrant colors and patterns-
She has created a “Collection of Molas,” which are based on the patterns created by the Colombian native Kuna Indians-
They create these patterns for their clothing by creating layers and layers of patterns, and she does the same in her painting these designs of molas.
She uses several different types of paints and water combos in her creations and is always exploring new ways to incorporate her design into fully functional art pieces made of acrylic.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
Doing my/our best to create sincere, meaningful, loving, memorable experiences to all those we come into contact within our personal lives and business lives. Creating lifelong relationships based on loyalty, shared values, and passions and respecting and learning how to navigate a world full of all kinds of folks, beliefs, challenges… but lots and lots of really GREAT STUFF.
Pricing:
- Starting Retail Price Point $22
- Highest Retail Price Point (excluding wall art) $200
- Wall Art – Originals -$95-$650 and up
- Offer Interior Designer/Trade Discounts
- Offer Corporate Sales Discounts
Contact Info:
- Website: treforthegathering.com
- Instagram: tre.tx
- Facebook: TRE
Image Credits
Rick Wells Photography
Paper City Houston
