Laguna art moves to the suburbs

Artist and gallery owner Shane Townley never imagined leaving Laguna Beach.

But now, his Laguna ART Gallery has unlimited parking, eager customers and a nearby Nordstrom espresso bar with surprisingly good salads.

He’s in The Shops at Mission Viejo.

And doing quite well. No more parking hassles, overpriced rent or lackluster business support. Instead, he was recruited by the Simon Property Group, owner of the mall, and offered 8,500 square feet of prime space at a discount.

His biggest headache now? Well, nothing.

“It’s been great,” Townley said. “Every time someone buys a painting I say, ‘Oh, do you ever get down to Laguna?’ and they’re like, ‘No, it’s a little hard to park but it’s so great you’re bringing Laguna to us.’”

It’s ironic that a Laguna Beach art gallery does its best work in Mission Viejo.

But maybe it’s not so surprising. Townley, who has owned galleries in Laguna since 2009, said COVID decimated his business.

“When COVID hit … nobody was coming into the gallery, nobody was walking around, nobody was buying art. Everyone was scared,” he said.

He closed his gallery at 305 N. Coast Hwy, across from the Laguna Art Museum, on June 1, 2020.

Not long after, the mall’s general manager – a Laguna Beach resident who used to walk his dog past Townley’s gallery – sent him an email asking what happened. Townley explained and was offered an alternative: Come to Mission Viejo.

Townley said he was blown away by the space (formerly the Z Gallerie), and the overall reception.

“We realized that our clientele is Coto de Caza, San Juan Capistrano, Rancho Santa Margarita, Irvine, and once in a while we get people from Laguna coming to the Apple store,” he said.

Does he ever miss Laguna?

“Every once in a while, I see an open space in Laguna, but I’m like, meh, I don’t know, we’re doing so well out here because there’s not a gallery within a 12-mile radius.”

He also believes that Laguna is losing its Laguna-ness.

“Everyone knows you can go to Laguna for art and hopefully meet artists, but it’s getting harder and harder to meet artists in Laguna,” he said.

He’s focused on trying to showcase his 400 artists on consignment. He also transferred the business to a full non-profit status. And he’s applying some of his Laguna lessons to the mall.

“Now we’re even in talks about doing an art walk within the mall,” he said, chuckling.

Laguna art walks in the Mission Viejo mall. Maybe this summer Townley will throw some sawdust on the floor and invite heritage Laguna artists to exhibit.

Maybe there will be live music, free wine and Nordstrom personal shoppers for everyone.

And maybe Laguna is no longer a location but a state of mind.