Valley Village Means Business! There are many great ways to EAT — PLAY — LIVE in Valley Village. Our community is full of unique and special businesses — restaurants, boutique shopping and specialized services that you don’t find in other neighborhoods. Today we would like to start with an in-depth interview of one of the longest standing businesses in Valley Village: Carter Sexton Artist Materials – owned by Chris Houser and a part of our business community since 1944.
Chris, how was your business established? The business was established by Carter Sexton who lived in the neighborhood and was a real go-getter, a real sharp business guy. He went to the studios to sell Mayline Drafting Furniture and took orders from them – and then ordered it from Mayline. When the truck showed up to deliver it to his house, they wouldn’t leave it since they wouldn’t “deliver” it. They said, “we don’t deliver to end users or people who aren’t retail businesses.” So, Carter Sexton raced over here and rented this store and was debating about opening it as an art supply store or a stationary store. Thank God, he chose art supplies!
He lived in the neighborhood and raised his family running the store. He and his wife ran the store. His family – two daughters and a son – worked in the store. His one daughter’s husband managed the store. And when Carter and his wife retired, they sold the store to his daughter Diane and his husband Neil.
I came to work for them in 1981. And when they retired in 2009, they sold it to me and my wife.
Are you a Valley Village native yourself? I was born in Montana, but was raised in the Valley. I live in North Hollywood but have worked in Valley Village for over 30 years, so I guess that makes me some kind of a native.
What has doing business in Valley Village meant to you? To be honest, as I eluded to, when Carter first made his sales…it’s really the proximity to the studios that has kept our doors open. And still, even though so many studios have fled the state and even the country, there are still studios here and they still need supplies and need them fast.
Just in this area there are a lot of creative people. We do get a lot of “real artists”. We also get a lot of students of all grades and ages from the junior college, Valley College, and all the local grade schools, high schools, the private schools. I think that there are a lot of creative juices flowing through Valley Village and I believe that is what has helped us stay afloat.
Valley Village has had a strong bond to the entertainment industry for a very long time, inclusive of this businesses, that’s been a key part for you? Yes. Long may it ever be so!
Are there any well known Hollywood productions, that you have viewed, that you could say “that’s our supplies!”? We actually get celebrity clients. A lot of productions buy here, some of the reality TV shows, some of the decoration shows filmed here.
Do you see a resurgence in Hollywood coming back into the area of art supplies? I believe so. It’s hard because so many things have changed. Even with the down-turn in the economy, there were productions, and movie productions couldn’t actually get loans to produce a movie. That’s all eased up now. Still, it’s not like what it was before.
When a customer comes in for the very first time, what type of customer are they? What are they looking for? What experience do you provide? Our competition probably have more than I have brand wise, but they don’t have the detail that I have. We stock everything you need for whatever art project. We have the employees that can help you decide what you need and help you complete your project in the manner that you want to do it.
What is the most desired product, or is it so broad that you can’t say “just one?” You can’t really say just one. People come in at least once a week and say, “I’ve been driving past here for 20 years and I finally came in and …wow, this is great!” People love the selection, the endless possibilities knowing all the stuff that we have that would fit the project they want to do or might want to do in the future.
In terms of classes, please tell us what Carter Sexton has to offer? We have 1 teacher that teaches fine arts in oil. She has 3 oil painting classes…one is figure, one is still life and one is landscape. Then she has two figure drawing classes, one is more advanced than the other. We have a teacher that teaches middle school kids one day and high school kids the next. We have a teacher that teaches little kids, kindergarten, first and second grade.
We have two water media classes. One is a traditional water color class. One is more mixed water media. Then we have random workshops. This weekend and next weekend we have a gentleman who is doing the lost art of scratch board and is going to teach a class here. Some of the manufacturers have workshops here. Golden Acrylics often has classes here of varying kinds.
Your relationship with the local community of merchants, is it helpful? I’ve been involved with neighboring businesses and we all know each other. I just bought a condo from Ed and Gina at Koenig Properties next door to us. I’ve known them for 18 years. On this block, we’re really close together…we have always been there for each other. We take deliveries for each other! I like the idea of the merchants group getting together in whatever way as far as they are willing. It can be a little hard as the businesses are so diverse, as well as the people who own them. Everybody is so busy, everybody is in the “new paradigm” of the economy – doing the work of two people if not more – I know I am. I’ve made a Facebook page for the local merchants where any merchant can join and within reason can post specials or interesting information.. I follow local merchants so I can repost to the Valley Village merchants page.
What are Carter Sexton’s hours of operation? We are open 9-6 Monday through Friday. And 9-5:30 on Saturday. We have a long-held dream of staying open till 7 to accommodate people who work till the evening.
Carter Sexton Artist Materials | 5308 Laurel Canyon Blvd.
Phone: 818-763-5050 | Web: www.CarterSexton.com
Chris, thank you…this has been great to share with the stakeholders of Valley Village.
Neighborhood Council Valley Village wants to interview your business too! Email us today at info@myvalleyvillage.com