New location for Boom Gallery

GEELONG’S Boom Gallery has opened the doors at its new location in Newtown.

After 13 years in their Rutland Street space, the new gallery officially opened on Saturday along Pakington Street.

Boom Gallery director Ren Inei said moving was part of their growth and they always had a hankering for a space where they could have everything on one site.

“We were split across a couple of different locations where we were, which made it very difficult to staff and manage.

“Having everything in one building that was custom fitted out to serve as a gallery was really important to us.”

The new building is purpose built for an art gallery, compared to the previous location, which was a converted factory, shared with other businesses.

As part of the change, the gallery will be able to focus more on their exhibitions, working with smaller groups of artists and providing a space where people can engage with the artwork.

After nine months of work to get the gallery ready, Mr Inei said he is really enjoying being on Packington Street.

“I really love the fact there’s a real lot of life and cars driving by and pedestrians and a lot of other things going on.

“Being in a more active space, a bit more public space is really nice and it’s just a change as well.

“You get so used to where you are for a long time, so having that freshness is quite exciting and we really want to retain a creative space that is active and moving.”

Boom Gallery have kept the leases at their previous location, which includes the café, where the business offering will continue to grow.

“We are wanting to reuse the spaces we’ve vacated to provide opportunities to other businesses and creative ventures,” Mr Inei said.

“We built a big community over a period of time, we don’t want that to just disintegrate; we’re really committed to seeing that thrive as well.”

Boom Gallery can now be found at 41 Pakington Street, Geelong West.

For more information, head to boomgallery.com.au