Two local business owners and artists are taking their partnership to a new level after moving into a bigger space in downtown Winnipeg.

Robert Lowdon – a local photographer and artist – opened the Robert Lowdon Gallery in late 2016 at 389 Graham Ave. He shared the space with Ryan Henderson’s company, Living Edge Handcrafted Furnishings, which sells re-purposed, environmentally friendly, hand-made furniture.

They're now located in a much bigger storefront

in Cityplace. 

Lowdon and Henderson both applied to CentreVenture’s Pop Up Shop Hop program in 2016 and both were successful in their bids. CentreVenture – which funds the projects in the program – encouraged them to share a space instead of going their separate ways.

Henderson says they started talking after they partnered up and it quickly became obvious that expanding their partnership was a no-brainer.

“We really help each other out in the sense that some people might come in for a piece of furnishing and notice a nice piece of art on the wall they want to buy and it works the same way in reverse,” said Henderson. “Everything we have is something new and original.”  

They moved to their new location on Jan. 2 of this year, and with a bigger space came a bigger vision.

“It’s allowing us to have more space and more art events and we’re hoping for it to turn into a bit of a hub for arts downtown,” said Lowdon. “That’s what we’re looking for going forward.”

The gallery sells work exclusively from local artists and builders.

Lowdon says Henderson’s work fits well in the gallery, because it’s more than just simple wooden benches, chairs and tables.

“It’s important to recognize that finely made furniture and design in itself is art,” said Lowdon. “A lot of times people have a definition of art that it’s just something that goes on the wall but that’s not what it is. It’s the joy in our lives and it is how we express ourselves and our humanity.”

Henderson gets the wood for his furniture from local arborists, who normally take their wood straight to the landfill. He then mills the recycled wood himself and dries it in a solar kiln before starting on a project.

Henderson says depending on what kind of item he’s working on, he spends around 80 to 100 hours on certain projects.

His work ranges in price at the gallery from $25 for a chopping board to $2000 for a kitchen table. Lowdon says it was important they have pieces that people can buy on a whim and pieces that are more of an investment.

People who buy Henderson’s work can trust they are getting a great product, according to Lowdon.

“You could go through 10 IKEA coffee tables in your lifetime and that’s going to cost you more than getting one of Ryan’s tables, which last forever,” said Lowdon.

Both men realized their work has a focus on helping the environment as well. Beyond Henderson’s work being made of all recycled metal and wood, Lowdon’s photography is heavily based on the environment and landscapes and how humans affect it.

They also have an initiative where every time they make a sale at the gallery, they plant a tree somewhere in Manitoba.

“A lot of times we take so much from the environment but don’t give anything back but it’s important to do that,” said Lowdon.

The Lowdon Gallery is located in Cityplace mall on the ground floor towards the south end of the mall. For more information on the gallery and the products for sale there visit robertlowdon.com or livingedgefurnishings.com.