Some businesses are readying to jump headfirst into the Olympics, at all costs.
Wendy Wacko is owner and director of Mountain Galleries. She launched the business 20 years ago in Jasper, Alberta, which is home to their warehouse and original studio. She opened a gallery location here in Whistler almost six years ago. Nestled into the heart of the Upper Village, in the Fairmont Chateau Whistler, the 1,600 square-foot gallery shows and promotes a range of Canadian artwork year-round, both through studio sales and its artist-in-residence program.
"A lot of local Whistler people said, 'oh, galleries come and go, you'll last a year.' And I said, 'I don't think so! I love Whistler - forget it!'" Wacko said with a laugh.
Wacko will be making Whistler her home base as of the end of December, setting up shop in "Chateau Wacko," a huge four-bedroom home in Nicklaus North that they've rented for the duration of the winter season, including the Olympics. There, she'll play host to a roster of artists and clients, and perhaps some Olympic athletes, as well.
"We've got dinner parties arranged for different groups - government officials, media, clients - and we're just going to have a lot of fun!"
Fun seems to be the name of the game for Wacko and the rest of the staff at Mountain Galleries.
"We're just going all out!" Wacko said. "The Olympics are a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I don't want to miss a minute of it."
But she isn't expecting to make a lot of money in the process.
"I've heard everything from 'you're going to be down 10 to 20 per cent...' so we've stopped worrying about that and we're hoping just to have a normal winter.
"Quite frankly, how business is, I'm not so worried about, but it's certainly an opportunity to raise the profile of Mountain Galleries."
Wacko did a bit of research into what other galleries in Olympic towns did for previous Games, but wasn't happy with what she found.
"I was discouraged. I felt that they didn't get it! The attitude was too self-centred. It has nothing to do with 'what are we going to get out of it,' it's 'what can we put into it to make this Olympics the best ever!' For me - I'm 58 - it's a once in a lifetime thing!"
Now, she's doubled the number of Whistler staff, and will have seven people working for February and March, who will help run the gallery and host parties at "Chateau Wacko."
A former ski racer, Wacko always dreamed of competing in the Olympics someday. But by the age of 18, she realized that her goal wasn't attainable.
"I have a huge emotional connection to the Olympics," she conceded. "I was about 18 years old before I realized it wasn't going to happen."
But she's never lost the Olympic dream and is putting all of her energy into making the 2010 experience memorable.
"It's a wonderful way to grow up - a life in sport - and it should be encouraged and supported because you learn discipline and focus and you learn skills when you're very young that are important no matter what you do throughout the rest of your life, so I've really learned to celebrate and embrace the whole concept of sport."
About a year and a half ago, the gallery launched a program called Salute to Excellence at the Gallery, as a way of recognizing greatness and special achievements.
"When something is extraordinary, we have an event and throw a party and give out awards ... we want to recognize excellence in every field," Wacko explained.
They started by commissioning a surprise portrait of the owner and executive chef at the Bearfoot Bistro, which had recently won a culinary competition. And during the Olympics, Wacko plans to carry on with this theme, dubbing their upcoming winter show, which runs from Jan. 23 until the end of the Olympics, Canada Counts: A Salute to Excellence.
They'll be featuring seven exhibitions by artists like the Canadian pop art icon, Charles Pachter, who recently signed with the gallery, Arnt Arntzen, Jim Vest, Cathy Jenkins, Gail Johnson, Richard Mravik, Rod Prouse and other leading artists in the Mountain Galleries' roster. In addition, they'll be holding artist demonstrations and daily public receptions at the gallery from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., with wine tastings, in partnership with 8th Generation Vineyard.
And whenever a Canadian wins a medal, art lovers who visit the studio could walk away with a free work of art, courtesy of Mountain Galleries.
"I wanted to give away an original work of art to every athlete who won a medal, but of course you can't do that," Wacko said, explaining that athletes can't accept gifts because of sponsorship agreements.
Instead, she's decided to give away a private edition print, valued between $600 and $800, to one lucky gallery visitor.
Mountain Galleries' magnificent "artmobile" (fondly referred to by Wacko and her staff as "The Mothership"), which is covered in artwork, will also be traveling around town leading up to and during the Games.
"The greatest challenge is moving some of the large pieces that we have, and its very expensive, and a few months ago we purchased a Dodge Sprinter and it's the smartest thing we've ever done!" Wacko said.
Wacko and her artmobile roll into town at the end of December, when the Whistler Mountain Galleries team will start busily preparing for their biggest, most exciting season yet.
"I see everyone in Whistler as ambassadors for not just Whistler, but for Canada. We should all just put our best foot forward and have a great time," Wacko said.
