We were lucky to catch up with Maren Mullin recently and have shared our conversation below.

Maren, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Owning a business isn’t always glamorous and most business owners we’ve connected with have shared that on tough days they sometimes wonder what it would have been like to have just had a regular job instead of all the responsibility of running a business. Have you ever felt that way?

This is a question that I never get asked, so I leapt at the chance to pick it. Although I relish being a business owner, I think all the time about what else I would want to do. Or I dream about a job where I would clock out and leave the day’s worries behind. There are so many various career paths that I could have taken, and I enjoy dreaming about ways to incorporate them into what I currently do. A recent diversion has been floral; I recently did the flowers for a 75 person wedding and reception. Do I want to open a floral studio? Likely not, but I love following a path of curiosity to see where it might go. I was also recently asked to participate in a regional reality TV series; I did the interviews and moved forward just far enough to make some new discoveries about myself and what the process is like, and that was enough for me. I’ll stick with my art galleries for now!

Maren, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Sure! I am a fourth generation entrepreneur, having grown up in the Seattle area and working for my family’s coffee roasting company. I moved to Park City, Utah after graduating from Pepperdine University in 2003. I had a series of part time jobs while I got to know the area, and ended up working at an art gallery. I loved it — and four years later I opened up Gallery MAR in our first location: a 1200 sq foot space on Main Street. Nearly fifteen years later, and a move up the street to a bigger location, we still have many of the artists with whom we started the gallery. In 2019, we expanded to Carmel-by-the-Sea and opened a second Gallery MAR, with a new CA-based business partner. We represent more than fifty artists from all over the country and enjoy the opportunity to share their beauty with the world. We are known for our innovative projects, immersive artist experiences, and corporate collections curation. The best way to see everything fresh is to follow us on Instagram @gallerymar.

How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?

Our clients are like friends and family for us — we always want to exceed their expectations and go out of way to say Thank You. We love to see photos of our artists’ works in a client’s home and produced a coffee table book with our favorite blogs, photographs, and information on our artists which we gifted to our special clients. And a hand-written Thank You note goes to every buyer.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

When I opened Gallery MAR, I was 25 and definitely had a case of Imposter Syndrome. I had to learn that trusting my own instincts and being true to myself and my personality was key — I didn’t need to lead my business as any other gallery owner does, I needed to do it my way, with my own strengths and challenges. It took me a while to find the confidence to just be 100% authentic as a female business owner, but now I love to mentor other women entrepreneurs and can speak honestly to this issue with them.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.gallerymar.com
• Instagram: gallerymar
• Facebook: gallerymar
• Linkedin: marenmullin
• Twitter: gallerymar
• Youtube: gallerymar
• Yelp: gallerymar

Image Credits
Photo of Maren and family on Main Street is by Claire Wiley