Honoring the Local Community with Public Art: Paulina Guajardo & Janna Watson the Old Lab Designs Murals

This week we are going to visit an historic section of downtown Hendersonville, NC where a beautiful new mural has just been completed. The 7th Avenue district of Hendersonville is undergoing a tremendous revitalization. For many years the area has been dominated by industrial buildings and warehouses that were strategically positioned near the main railroad terminal and depot. During those times, it was not a destination for locals or visitors who didn’t have some business to transact there. But that has been changing rapidly over the past few years as new businesses catering to the general public have sprung up. Restaurants, bakeries, cafes, bars, breweries, and even a distillery have opened to make the neighborhood a must-see stop in enjoying downtown Hendersonville. In addition to the eateries, there are some very interesting retail shops new to the area. One of those stores is the Old Lab Designs and Mercantile, a beautiful and unique shop with quirky vintage items, high quality, high fashion women's clothing and accessories, gourmet kitchen and pantry items, and unique gifts for men and women alike. The owner is Janna Watson and she is realizing her vision of bringing rich texture to the streets of the town, not only in the items she sells in the store, but also the store building as well. When Janna first moved in, the building epitomized that industrial look of the area, with its rough and crumbling red brick walls with very little inviting character. She was determined to spruce it up and make it much more beautiful and help the area become more inviting. So she decided to adorn both sides of the building with murals. She commissioned a talented artist from Miami, Paulina Guajardo, to paint the murals and she was able to finish it all very quickly over two short trips. Paulina is a Mexican-born artist and her mother is a renowned Mexican artist in her own right. Paulina and Janna join us today to talk about the new murals and the inspiration for them.