History

Gallery Boom is a bustling hub for the arts in the South Sound Region. Gallery Boom has now been in 3 locations in the Olympia area over it’s 6 years. In July of 2020, Gallery Boom had to adapt like all other small businesses to the pandemic. Gallery Boom was lucky enough to relocate to a small new store on the NE side of town and move the majority of it’s sales online at galleryboomshop.com. 80 artists moved up the hill with them and it’s still growing.

Gallery Boom moved from downtown Olympia with a 5,000 sqft building of local art gallery including, Art Parts- a used art supply shop, the Psychic Rent a Tent and a rentable gallery space for classes, events and art shows. Gallery Boom had over 140 local artists from the South Sound. Thank you for 4 years of a bustling hub of arts and culture. May we adapt and grow to these changing times.

Gallery Boom was voted by the people of Thurston County to be the Best Art Gallery in the South Sound in 2017, 2018 and 2019. It was also featured in the Washington Post travel article about Olympia published in September 2018. https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2018/lifestyle/vacation-ideas/things-to-do-in-olympia/

Gallery Boom started life as the first all local art gallery in Tumwater, WA. It began in 2014 as part of the Tumwater Chamber of Commerce Business Incubator Program. It was located in the former Tumwater Chamber of Commerce Building in the Fred Meyer parking lot for two years. The BOOM in Gallery Boom came from the Island of Harmony Boom, an art project from former owner and artist P. Calavara and Christine Malek. The gallery started as a way to promote the books, stuffed creatures and other products of Hamony Boom. It developed into a dynamic and innovative way to promote and support local artists. The Tumwater gallery hosted art classes, events and a Sunday Art Market every Sunday during the summer.