CASPER, Wyo. – A Casper institution has a group of new owners with long ties to the community.
Erin and Jon Kewshaw, along with Erin’s sister, Sarah, and her husband Paden, recently bought Goedicke’s Custom Framing & Art Supplies and the connected Scarlow’s Art and Coffee from Claire Marlow, who had owned the business since 2013.
“[Sarah and I] were looking for different investment options,” said Erin. “We weren’t thinking about a business, we were probably moving more towards real estate or something like that.”
Those ideas pivoted when Erin came across a small listing for the Goedicke’s business, which Claire had quietly been shopping around as she planned to scale back her responsibilities and spend more time with her family.
After a six-month process the deal was finalized, and the new owners and Claire toasted the changing-of-the-guard in the gallery space with friends and family.
“I think fresh new energy is important and hopefully they can take it to the next level, integrating even more community involvement, classes, events, and expanding on supplies and artists,” said Claire in a message to Oil City News. “It has been a very bittersweet process letting it go, as I have grown so much within that space, and really found my foot in the community through that business.”
Erin and Sarah plan to be hands-on as much as possible, they say, with their husbands pitching in between their day jobs. The sisters are Casper natives with long and fond memories of Goedicke’s.
“We were homeschooled and we always shopped at Goedicke’s for supplies, and we dabbled in all sorts of [art] and things,” said Erin.
“We really like the atmosphere downtown and love the way a community comes together, and how it’s grown over the past 20 years,” she said. “Claire has been a part of that with expanding into the coffee shop and art gallery, and making sure people feel welcome. We just want to continue that.”
That community touch is what separates a local store from the big box stores on the east side, as well as online giants like Amazon, she said.
Goedicke’s has nearly seven decades of history in Casper, making one of the oldest continuously operating businesses in town, according to their website. It’s located in a building that has been restored and is a designated historic landmark.
“You can definitely feel the history here,” said Sarah. “The environment is completely different than a Hobby Lobby. You walk in here and you need something, and we pull it off the shelves for you. We make sure it’s exactly what you need for your art class or project.”
Erin and Sarah also emphasize the custom framing business, which they believe is among the last of its kind in Casper aside from the big box stores. “If they have fine art and they want it handled well…I would love to see it, because we do have extensive experience with that, and we want to be very careful with people’s work.”
Sarah says they will continue to work closely with Casper College art instructors and ART 321 to stock the items students, hobbyists and artists need. “We have the list ready for students, we have their kits ready before their classes even start as soon as they’re enrolled,” said Sarah. “I think if you’re in the market for taking a class locally, then you’re going to be in the market for buying supplies locally.”
Claire added the coffee bar service in 2019, and told Oil City News at the time that she was inspired by her trips to Italy, where daily life revolves around café culture and fine espresso. The mix of art and coffee has made Scarlow’s a hub for Casper’s professional set.
“We have jewelry makers come in to meet with clients, we have a lot of life coaches that meet here with clients…we have a lot of self-employed professionals like graphic designers, photographers, social media managers and content creators,” said Sarah.
“We want to continue to cultivate that,” added Erin. “I like that that’s the environment here.”
The sisters say they hope to expand on things that already make Goedicke’s unique, and add services that could bring in more foot traffic and utilize the space. They’re exploring renting to small private gatherings, bringing in more artists and small classes, and getting involved with high school artists. They are also in touch with an artist who makes prints on an antique printing press, who they hope to bring in and set up near the front window.
“The way we’re gonna do that is, customers can come in and actually use the machine,” said Erin. “People can come in and watch him work, but we will be able to show people how to do it, so if you want to stamp a Christmas card, you can do that.”
“It’s a magical atmosphere here,” said Erin. “We just want to continue to cultivate local relationships so that we can keep that magic going.”
Goedicke’s Custom Framing & Art Supplies is located at 120 West Second Street in downtown Casper. More information on their services and hours can be found at their website.
