MIZE Opens on MLK

Almost three years after he closed his first St. Pete art gallery, artist Chad Mize had an itch. He wanted to open another gallery.

When Blue Lucy closed in 2015 after five years on the bustling 600 block of Central Avenue, Mize was happy to not have the responsibility of a business anymore. But after a while, he realized working from home wasn’t ideal for him.

“I just got to a point where I hit a wall where I’m like ‘I do not want to work at home’. I want to be able to wake up in the morning and come to a space and work and leave it and be able to shut it off,” Mize said.

He missed both the separation between work and home life and the gallery environment he knew so well.

“After I closed my space (Blue Lucy), I got a lot of response of ‘we’re so bummed you’re gone.’ So I felt like I did serve my purpose and I know I’m good at what I do in terms of curation and putting together a gallery space so I wanted to do it again,” he said.

So on March 1, Mize finally made the leap and signed a 5-year lease on a quaint brick storefront on Dr. Martin Luther King Street N. Then after over a month of light renovations, MIZE, his second brick and mortar venture in the St Pete art scene, soft opened to the public on April 13th.

Wedged between Banyan Cafe and Catering and Black Amethyst Tattoo Gallery, his gallery at 689 (Unit C) is located in the heart of Historic Uptown. Mize is familiar with the neighborhood because he painted a mural on the side of Uptown Laundromat across from Round Lake in 2016.

“I saw that there was more development on this block (between 7th and 5th Avenue N) and they’re cleaning it up. Also it’s just affordable,” he said. “I looked in the Warehouse Arts District (but) I just wanted to be on a main street. I wanted to still be visible, I didn’t want to be tucked away somewhere.”

The new space, which previously housed half of Growing Up, a kids’ clothing and toy store, is a world away from the popular, ever-changing 600 Block that Blue Lucy called home. But his new block, including the 1926 building that houses four individual stores including MIZE, has its own perks.“It’s got character and charm,” Mize said of the building.

MIZE is just north of the Fringe District, a collection of small businesses along Dr. Martin Luther King Street N between roughly 1st and 4th Avenue N. Cheaper rent prices than most other major streets in downtown St. Pete, especially Central Avenue, attracted businesses like Planet Retro Records and Star Booty Salon to the area.

On his opening morning, Mize was fresh off hosting his art show “100 Films Part II” at Green Bench Brewing Company the night before. The remaining, unsold art pieces, about 80, now line the walls of the gallery. Part 1 of his 100 Films show was done during the Blue Lucy years.

“People respond to movies, they love film and it’s just that nostalgic factor. There’s so much to choose from. We actually supply a list for the artists to choose (movies) from so when they come to pick up the panel, then they select a film and we did from 1920 to current films.”

In the two bay windows at the front of the gallery (a feature Mize called perfect for displaying art), a larger piece titled “Love” and samples of his new “MIZE” t-shirts and tanks among other products are prominently displayed. Although he wants to do limited edition t-shirts every month, he’s keeping the retail side of the gallery small so he can focus on the art and curation.

Mize also plans for the gallery to be a multipurpose space for hosting small community events and generally wants to make it accessible to the Historic Uptown community. He likened his ambition for the gallery to a “mini Studio@620”, referring to the small but popular arts venue on 1st Avenue South. He’s already in talks with local artists April Seelbach and Daniel Mrgan and Los Angeles-based artist Stephen Palladino to do solo art shows.

On his end, Mize is planning on doing a show featuring gay and lesbian artists which is centered around the St Pete Pride Festival for his grand opening in June, as well as a fruit and floral show for the summer.

But MIZE won’t be the only art gallery on the block for long. Friend, collaborator and creative director of St Pete branding agency Wax & Hive, Jimmy Breen is currently renovating the space adjacent for his own gallery, which was the other half of the former kids’ store.

In the future, Mize envisions a “creative block” with the two galleries, Black Amethyst and Banyan Cafe side by side and a smattering of other small businesses, including a float tank therapy business, St Pete Salt Works.

MIZE opens Saturdays 11am – 7pm. His current exhibit “100 Films Part II” runs through May 20.

MIZE is located at 689 Dr. Martin Luther King Street N, Unit C. For more information, visit www.chadmize.com, email [email protected] or call 727-251-8529.