ANDERSONVILLE — An art supplies and gift shop is evolving into a virtual store and maker space.
Martha Mae: Art Supplies and Beautiful Things, 5407 N. Clark St., closed at the end of August after four years. But Martha Mae will continue as an online store with unique physical iterations in Andersonville, said owner Jean Cate.
The change was brought on by the complications of running a retail business during the coronavirus pandemic, Cate said.
“It was doing well before, but the main bulk of the business was in-store sales,” she said. “When COVID hit, the online store was the main way people interacted with the store. I thought, ‘Oh, it would be cool to make a bold move, just try to rely on delivery and online.’”
Martha Mae opened in August 2016, taking over the space that housed art studio Vignette Vignette.
Cate opened Vignette Vignette with a…