With today’s economy being so down in the dumps, opening a business might seem like a dicey move for anybody, but the new Proctor Art Gallery has a unique way of handling such concerns.

Owned by husband-and-wife team Carolyn Burt and Chuck Gourley, the gallery’s business plan is based on an artists association Burt formed before the gallery opened. Made up of 15 local artists, it is their works that hang in the gallery and it is they who contribute money and time to make the gallery work. Under contract, association members pay rent and work two to three days a month in the gallery and pay a small commission on sales. The association also reviews art by those seeking membership.

The owners and the association work as a team to plan out how all the art will be displayed in the gallery. Rather than clumping individual artists together in designated areas, their artwork is mixed among one another’s and incorporated into crafted displays so that customers can get a fresh view of everything in stock and see how certain pieces might look in their own homes.

“It’s not officially a co-op,” Burt said, “although it’s similar to that because I also give them the artist’s rights to make some decisions for the gallery like when hours will be, how displays will be set up, and they are the screening committee to review other artists’ works who’d like to display here.

“It’s a win-win situation for everybody.”

Located where Huff Jewelers used to be at 3011 N. 26th St., the collection of art in the gallery is nothing but exquisite. Wandering through the inviting space with its warm, earth-toned walls, one gets a real sense of how much artistic talent there is in Tacoma. Seeing all the expertly done watercolors, pen and ink drawings, sculptures, stained glass art, jewelry, pottery and original greeting cards can certainly give one pause to marvel over the fact that at any given moment of any day, an artist somewhere in town is sitting down at his or her dining room table or pulling up a chair to the easel in their home studio to create the finest works of art you will see anywhere.

Prices at Proctor Art Gallery run the gamut - from one-of-a-kind framed paintings worth several thousand dollars to smaller, matted print versions sold for about $30-$40. The back room off the main gallery is where you will find all kinds of affordable gifts and other handmade items made right here in T-Town.

Burt, who just retired last summer after more than two decades teaching school, is an accomplished artist with many of her pieces for sale at the gallery. She works in watercolor, pen and ink, acrylics and photography. Her subjects are that of urban Tacoma landmarks and idyllic rural landscapes. Many examples of her work can be found at www.CarolynBurtStudio.com.

Gourley is a professional entertainer and musician specializing in music of a nostalgic kind. “I play at nearly all the retirement and care facilities in the Tacoma and Olympia area,” he said. “I play the old songs they like to hear.”

Proctor Art Gallery will hold a grand opening March 21, 2-6 p.m. The public is invited to come and meet the gallery artists, and investigate Proctor District’s newest place to shop. The gallery is currently seeking additional artists to show, particularly those who work in three-dimensional art, woodturning, metal or fiber. “Our goal is to have a variety so that when people come in there’s something that catches their eye,” Burt said.

For information, call (253) 759-4238. Hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.