Gary Handler always knew he’d end up living at the beach.
But Handler, owner of Curate 30A art gallery in Rosemary Beach, never could have imagined his path to the coast would be so rough or how that difficult journey would end with such a sense of peace and happiness.
After graduating from Auburn University in 1988, Handler was involved in a boating accident that “laid me up for a year.”
“Coming out of that and looking to get into the working world, I took a job with an art gallery working in the back,” Handler said. “I didn’t have any background in art … no art classes in college. But quickly fell in love with art. I didn’t know that I had it in me. But it was definitely there, and it came out.”
Handler worked his way up the gallery ladder over the course of the next few years, first as an art consultant, then as gallery director.
“Unfortunately, right when I was coming into my form, they went out of business,” he said. “But that gave me the opportunity to do my own thing. I was 25 years old at the time. I took my database of clients, and I contacted a few artists. I let them know I was staying in the art business.”
He did that on his own for about six years and soon became known as one of the country’s leading art consultants and artist representatives. In 1999, he opened his first storefront in Atlanta called Vinings Gallery. A second location was added in 2012, and a third in 2016.
“As we were getting ready to open up our third, I needed a beach vacation,” Handler said. “So, my wife Cindy and I came to Rosemary for a long weekend. We stepped into the little art gallery that was here, and I started talking to the owner. He was looking to exit, and we quickly came to an agreement. We opened Labor Day weekend 2016.”
And that’s how Curate 30A was born.
“It was really amazing,” Handler said. “This was always a goal of mine, to have a beach gallery and to one day retire at the beach. Having a place down here would give me the best of both worlds. And, we’re still going strong eight years later.”
Handler met his wife during their freshman year in college, and they were the best of platonic friends for 15 years.
“Then, it went from a friendship to a real relationship,” Handler said. “When we talked about getting married, Cindy always jokingly said, ‘I’ll marry you on one condition: One day you move me to the beach.’
“So, when this opportunity came around, it was something that was definitely on my radar.”
The family rented a home along 30A when they first opened the gallery.
“In April 2017, on our daughter Maya’s 14th birthday, she was diagnosed with a very rare pediatric cancer,” Handler recalled. “Having the gallery and the place at the beach was amazing for us to experience as Maya was going through the rigorous chemo treatments and procedures we had to endure.
“So, whenever we could get away, which was pretty frequently, the three of us would come down.
On January 2, 2019, Maya passed away.
“I had only opened up the gallery about two and a half years before that,” Handler said. “After all of that, my wife and I needed a reset. We decided in January 2020 to make this our full-time home. It was one year after Maya passed away that we decided to make 30A our full-time residence.”
With the help of Scenic Sotheby’s International Realty, the Handlers found the perfect Emerald Coast home for them. Then the pandemic hit.
“We made a purchase right before COVID started,” Handler said. “The timing of that could not have been any better. It really changed my perspective on life and different things you take for granted. We just made a commitment to live every day to our fullest. The beach – and this area in particular – is a place that always has brought us a lot of peace and happiness. So, the time was perfect for us to make the move.
“We’re very happy here. This is home.”
Handler still operates two galleries in the Atlanta area as well. And while he said he originally didn’t have any background in art when he was fresh out of college, Handler’s father was an art collector.
“I must’ve had a deep appreciation for it in there somehow,” he said. “I learned I had a good eye for fine art. It was untrained, but it was there. So that drew me to the art world.
But more than that, it really is the people. Being able to bring beautiful things into someone’s home, creating an atmosphere and ambiance that matches a client’s life and lifestyle, and the joy of placing a great piece of art into their home … it emotionally stirs me.”
Now, Handler said his primary job is to curate the gallery and “try to stay out of the way” of his fantastic team he’s built around him.
“We have art shows,” he said. “We host six to eight artists events a year where the artist comes in and creates a special body of work for their show. I curate it, but I still love working with clients when we have the opportunity to take the pieces out into their home for a home show. I absolutely love that.
“And I keep my eyes out for trends, new artists and new artwork that would be a good fit for us.”
Curate 30A has hosted artists from all over the world, including some from Italy, Canada and Spain. But the vibe of the gallery is coastal and casual.
“Some of the artists might not be from here, but one of the things I do right away is have them come down so they can see our beaches and the Emerald Coast. It gives them some inspiration for future collections they create for us.”
Handler said Curate 30A is ready to cater to full-time Emerald Coast residents, visitors, second home owners, experienced art collectors and novices who might even be overwhelmed by the entire process.
“I tell those people to not be intimidated,” he said. “I tell them to trust their gut. It’s not so much about the price tag or subject matter or style. It’s what they love. Art should be a reflection of their personality. It does not have to generally mesh with their window treatment and rugs. I think they should be able to fall in love with the art and let it be an expression of their personality. Don’t worry about what other people think.”
“It definitely has a beach feel to it,” Handler said. “And even if the paintings or artists don’t have a specific beach theme or seascape, everything seems to go very well in these coastal style homes. And there are some specifically 30A and Gulf Coast works.
In recent years, Handler said Curate 30A has seen a shift in clientele.
“When we first opened in 2016, the majority of our clients were folks down here on a vacation,” he said. “We would have to ship the artwork to wherever they live. But it always was a bit challenging helping them build a collection of more than one or two pieces with them being out of town and their visits to the gallery limited.
“One of the things I’ve experienced since 2020 and the pandemic is so many people moving here on a full-time basis or buying a home here, maybe a second home. They’re investing into the interior and the décor of their home. We now have an opportunity to be a full-service gallery which is bringing pieces over to their home.
“We can let them see the work in the beauty of the gallery but also in their home, which is what’s most important. If they like it in the gallery, they’re going to love it even more in their home.”
Handler said people who rent out their homes also are becoming clients.
“These folks are buying a nice piece or two because they understand that somebody coming down and willing to pay a nice amount of money for a rental property probably has nice art in their homes,” he said. “So, when we can add a few nice pieces to give it more of a comfortable home feel, it’s a good feeling.”
Home clearly is a big part of Handler’s business model. And he’s glad he can call 30A his home now, even if the path to get here wasn’t one he wanted to take.
“There is happiness after tragedy,” he said. “Cindy and I are walking proof of that. And the gallery is a wonderful place for me to keep Maya’s light shining bright as I many times have had the opportunity to tell my story to people I meet and to engage in some very rich and meaningful conversations.
“Without my story, I feel that I would not have developed some of the close relationships that we have.” | curate30a.com
