Pop Art Pops Up In Vacant Retail Spot

All of a sudden, a pop art gallery popped up in downtown New Canaan Thursday night.

It appeared—rather serendipitously—at 36 Elm Street in the storefront occupied until recently by Plaza Too.

The new arrival brought with it a wide array of art to boot: from museum-quality vintage posters to versions of Andy Warhol's Campbell's soup prints to replicas of Metro North and MTA signs in their signature Helvetica typeface.

Lee Milazzo and Trevor MacDermid, the unlikely pair of entrepreneurs behind the temporary gallery, are set to inhabit the space for at least 10 days thanks to a "very informal" arrangement with owner Arnold Karp of Karp Associates.

Karp said he agreed to let the two to use the location while he looks for a tenant to occupy it on an permanent basis.

"It's free to them unless it proves to be a great business model," Karp said in an interview.

Karp said he had been stopped by acquaintances on the street mistakenly congratulating him for finding a great long-term renter.

"They'd like it to stay," he added, conceding that the customary monthly rent of $18,000-19,000 is not for the faint of heart.

Milazzo, who lives in Greenwich, is owner of the Samuel Owen Gallery, located in the Antique and Artisan Center in Stamford.

MacDermid, an artist by trade, has been making the drive to New Canaan most days from Brooklyn, where he fabricates his replica MTA and Metro North signs in a converted building at the Brooklyn Navy Yard.

The first step toward their partnership came when Milazzo was introduced to Karp by a mutual friend, Beth Dempsey, who runs the business Images and Details across the street from the gallery.

"He loved the idea," Milazzo said.

Meanwhile, when MacDermid won a licensing agreement with the MTA to use its logos and colors for his business, Underground Signs, he caught the attention of the New York Times, which featured him in a December 2009 article.

Soon after, Karp phoned him to order a sign for his business. When MacDermid arrived at Karp's office to deliver the product, Karp pitched the idea of using the vacant space with MacDermid.

"We three—Lee, Arnold, and I—met for coffee on Monday, and we had our gallery opening the following Thursday," MacDermid said.

The pairing, by all accounts, has been a natural one.

"We both communicate bold, recognizable images," MacDermid said. "Everyone knows the subway signs and Klondike ice cream," referring to artwork by Todd Lim that hangs on the gallery's stark, white walls.

"Arnold's been fantastic," said Mizelli. "He's the rare businessman with vision and smarts."

Milazzo, MacDermid, and Karp all said that breathing new life into the empty space was a win-win: for Milazzo and MacDermid, who say business has been great; for Karp, because it enables prospective tenants to visualize how the 2,563 square foot space can be configured; and for neighboring shops and shoppers, because it fills an otherwise vacant storefront.

"Everyone comes in with a smile on their face," MacDermid said.

Both artists also said they love the atmosphere of downtown New Canaan.

"I like Ralph Lauren and J. Crew, too, but it's great to see the small, independent businesses like Elm Street Books," said Milazzo. "It has a really nice feel."

Prices at the gallery vary widely. A red and white "New Canaan" sign—like the real deal at the Metro North station—goes for $309. At the other end of the room (and the cost spectrum) sits an Andy Warhol screen print depicting a can of Campbell's Hot Dog Bean Soup. It is valued at $40,500.

During the coming week, the gallery is scheduled to be open on weekdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on the weekend from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The gallery creators can be reached via email at Lee@SamuelOwen.com or Trevor@Underground-Signs.com.