Creative Exchange

What Creative Exchange does

Creative Exchange is an independently owned local art supply store, gallery, and creative community hub founded in August 2022 by Dylan Sanders and Ryan "Stirling" Botts, operating from a single storefront at 301-1 N Trenton St, Ruston, Louisiana. The business serves North Louisiana (Ruston and Lincoln Parish) by combining three functions under one roof: retail sale of art supplies and creative tools sourced from independent and small manufacturers, a curated gallery marketplace representing 60+ regional artists, and recurring community programming (Creative Meetups, juried exhibitions, and the multi-venue Ruston Art Ramble). Layered on top of this core are two add-on programs — the $75/month Ruston Microgallery rentable showing space and the Creative Exchange Lagniappe "Art in Public Spaces" placement initiative — which extend the store's footprint into off-site venues such as the Kit Gilbert Studio, Creatives At Work, and the Experience Ruston Visitor Center.

The underlying technology stack is minimal: the company website runs on Squarespace, with Jotform embedded forms handling operational intake for the Art Market, Microgallery, and Lagniappe applications. No proprietary software platform, app, API, or developer integrations are disclosed. Revenue mechanics are diversified but small-scale, drawn from retail art-supply sales (in-store, by phone, or via a lightweight e-commerce cart), inquiry-based gallery artwork sales, $75/month microgallery rentals, public-art placement participation, and a loyalty rewards program that returns a portion of spend to customers. Pricing for most SKUs and original artwork is not publicly listed — buyers contact the store by phone (318.202.3202) or email — while the only disclosed recurring price is the $75/month microgallery subscription.

The company explicitly positions itself as an ethics-first, community-first alternative to national art-supply chains (Blick, Hobby Lobby, Amazon), with cumulative public impact disclosures of $73,798 paid to artists, makers, and small vendors; $26,985 in art kit discounts for LA Tech students and local classrooms; $7,054 returned to customers via loyalty rewards; and over $23,000 reinvested in local events and education since August 2022. No external funding rounds, institutional investors, or ownership changes are disclosed beyond a single $5,000 grant from Backing Small Businesses in June 2023; the business appears to be bootstrapped and owner-operated.

Name

Creative Exchange

Legal name

Creative Exchange

Website

https://creativeexchange.art

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Creative Exchange is an independently owned local art supply store, gallery, and creative community hub in Ruston, Louisiana, serving North Louisiana with retail art supplies, a curated marketplace of 60+ regional artists, microgallery rentals, and recurring community programming such as Creative Meetups and the Ruston Art Ramble.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Independent Art Supplies Retail

NAICS

Art Dealers (45992), Hobby, Toy, and Game Retailers (45912), Office Supplies, Stationery, and Gift Retailers (4594)

SIC

Retail-Hobby, Toy & Game Shops (5945), Pens, Pencils & Other Artists' Materials (3950)

akta.pro primary industry

General Arts & Crafts Supplies Retail (CRALACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Fine Art Materials Retail (Paint, Canvas, Drawing) (CRALACAB), Hobby & Craft Instructional Books/Patterns Retail (In-store/Physical) (CRALACAL)

Keywords

• Retail art supplies
• Independent art store
• Gallery exhibitions
• Artist marketplace
• Creative community programming

Headquarters

HQ city

Ruston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Retail art supply sales: Core revenue from selling art supplies and creative tools in-store at 301-1 N Trenton St, Ruston, LA, sourced from independent/small manufacturers and ethical suppliers rather than large distributors. In-person cash, check, and over-the-phone credit card payments accepted.
2. Gallery artwork sales: Sales of original works by represented and exhibiting local artists (e.g., Heather Gill collages, Lincoln Parish printmaking pieces), processed via phone/email inquiry or in-person purchase; pickup at Creative Exchange with shipping available at additional cost.
3. Microgallery showing space rental: Recurring rental of the "Ruston Microgallery" rentable showing space at $75 per month, allowing artists to exhibit work on a subscription-like recurring basis.
4. Creative Exchange Lagniappe public art placements: Program placing art in public spaces (Art in Public Spaces) via a separate application, generating placement/participation revenue from participating artists and venues.
5. Customer loyalty rewards program: Repeat-purchase loyalty program that returns a portion of spend back to customers ($7,054 paid back to customers as cited in the snapshot of impact since August 2022), driving retention rather than incremental revenue.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Creative Exchange operates a single physical retail art-supply store and gallery at 301-1 N Trenton St, Ruston, LA, selling art supplies and creative tools sourced from independent/small manufacturers alongside original artwork by 60+ represented regional artists. The store doubles as a community programming hub, offering rotating exhibitions, a rentable $75/month Ruston Microgallery, an Art-in-Public-Spaces Lagniappe program, weekly Creative Meetups, and the recurring Ruston Art Ramble.

Product overview

Creative Exchange is a single, unified local art-business — not a software platform — operated out of 301-1 N Trenton St, Ruston, LA 71270 by co-owners Dylan Sanders and Ryan "Stirling" Botts. Its core offering is the Creative Exchange Retail Art Store, which is paired with the Creative Exchange Gallery & Marketplace (rotating exhibitions plus a curated artist marketplace) as the storefront's two main functions. Layered on top of that core are add-on programs: the Ruston Microgallery (rentable showing space at $75/month), Creative Exchange Lagniappe Locations (an Art-in-Public-Spaces program), the Creative Meetups community series (held at Kit Gilbert Studio / Creatives At Work), and the Ruston Art Ramble art-crawl event series. The Creative Exchange Blog & Newsletter sits alongside the physical offerings as the company's storytelling and community-advocacy channel. Together these named products form Creative Exchange's full portfolio of in-person retail, gallery, and community-engagement services for North Louisiana.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Creative Exchange Retail Art Store Physical retail storefront at 301-1 N Trenton St, Ruston, LA 71270, serving as the local source for art supplies and creative tools for North Louisiana, with a loyalty rewards program and art kit discounts for LA Tech students and local classrooms.
• Creative Exchange Gallery & Marketplace Combined gallery exhibition space and artist marketplace representing 60+ regional artists and makers in North Louisiana. Curates rotating exhibitions and sells original works (collage, printmaking, etc.) from listed represented artists; marketplace intake via Jotform application.
• Ruston Microgallery Rental Rentable showing space within the Creative Exchange storefront offered at $75/month to local artists for short-term displays; sign-up handled through an embedded Jotform application.
• Creative Exchange Lagniappe (Art in Public Spaces) Program placing artwork by participating artists in public spaces throughout the Ruston region; intake via embedded Jotform submission form on the Opportunities page.
• Creative Meetups Recurring Monday-evening community meetup series hosted at partner venues (Kit Gilbert Studio inside the Gilbert Center, and Creatives At Work at 112 West Alabama Avenue, Ruston) to bring together regional creatives for networking and collaboration.
• Ruston Art Ramble Recurring community art-crawl event held across Downtown Ruston, LA, with stops at Creative Exchange and partner venues like UpAhead Design; held multiple times per year.

Quantifiable outcome

• $26,985 in art kit discounts for LA Tech students, creatives, and local classrooms since Aug 2022
• +4 more outcomes

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• mylocalartstore.comminorGTM or Marketing PartnerA hub of small, mission-driven independent art stores that Creative Exchange actively promotes as a referral destination for customers who cannot find what they need in-store. Creative Exchange is listed on the site alongside other independent retailers as part of a collective response to consolidation by Blick Art Materials.
• Ross Lynn Charitable FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-located at 301 N. Trenton St. Ste 1, Ruston — the same address as Creative Exchange. Owners Dylan Sanders and Ryan Botts serve on the foundation's board, and artist "Ross Lynn" is listed among the marketplace's represented artists, indicating a deep, multi-dimensional community partnership.
• Creatives At WorkminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNeighbor gallery/shop at 112 W. Alabama Ave, Ruston. Hosts Creative Exchange's recurring Creative Meetups (Feb 3, 10, 17, 24, 2025) and the Dream Haze exhibition closing reception, functioning as a community-event co-host.
• Fine Line Supply Co.minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocal art supply peer at 207 N. Trenton St, Ruston, listed alongside Creative Exchange in the "Local Arts" directory as a complementary independent art retailer in the downtown corridor.
• No. 9 Books & RecordsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-located at 301 N. Trenton St. Ste 2, Ruston (next door to Creative Exchange at Ste 1). Listed in the Local Arts directory as a neighboring creative-business peer for cross-promotion.
• UpAhead DesignminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal design firm at 602 S Bonner St, Ruston, that hosted the May 15, 2025 "Ruston Art Ramble!!!" event. The Creative Exchange owners' email addresses (@upahead.org) suggest a close organizational affiliation with UpAhead.
• Kit Gilbert Studio (inside the Gilbert Center)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerVenue partner for the April 27, 2026 Creative Meetup, located at 301 North Trenton Street, Ruston, LA 71270 (the same building as Creative Exchange). Provides physical event space adjacent to the store.
• North Central Louisiana Arts CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional arts council at 212 N. Vienna St, Ruston, on whose boards/committees Creative Exchange owners serve. Listed as a key arts-organization partner in the Local Arts directory and central to Creative Exchange's community-investment mission.
• Ruston Cultural DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCultural district organization on whose board Creative Exchange owners serve. The district shapes the creative and cultural life of Ruston, and Creative Exchange is a visible anchor business within it (contact: [email protected]).
• Louisiana Peach FestivalminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRegional festival organization on whose board Creative Exchange owners serve, providing community visibility and event-driven marketing exposure for the business.
• Lincoln Parish 4HcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal 4-H program supported via board/committee involvement by Creative Exchange owners; directly aligned with the business's classroom art-kit discount program and youth education focus.
• Friends of Ruston Main StreetcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMain-street revitalization organization on whose board Creative Exchange owners serve, supporting downtown Ruston's creative and small-business ecosystem in which the store is a key tenant.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Kit Gilbert Studio: Local studio inside the Gilbert Center at 301 N Trenton St, Ruston, that hosts Creative Exchange's Creative Meetups. Comparable as a peer creative venue within the same North Louisiana arts ecosystem, operating in the same downtown corridor and overlapping audience.
• No. 9 Books & Records: Co-located at 301 N Trenton St Ste 2, Ruston, next door to Creative Exchange. Listed in the Local Arts directory as a neighboring creative-business peer for cross-promotion, operating in adjacent creative-retail categories (books and records) for the same downtown Ruston audience.

Broad incumbents

• Amazon: E-commerce platform explicitly named by Creative Exchange owners as a competitor they are positioning against. Amazon's scale and pricing on art supplies, prints, and creative tools create the core price-disadvantage Creative Exchange counters with curation, ethics, and community reinvestment.
• Blick Art Materials: National art supply retailer explicitly named by Creative Exchange as the chain it positions against. Overlaps on retail art supplies but operates at vastly greater scale, with the recent acquisition of Macpherson's assets further consolidating the wholesale supply chain Creative Exchange relies on.
• Hobby Lobby: National craft and art supply chain explicitly named in Creative Exchange's positioning. Sells overlapping product categories (art supplies, frames, creative tools) but at mass-market scale and without the curated local-artist marketplace or community programming that defines Creative Exchange.

Others

• UpAhead Design: Local design firm at 602 S Bonner St, Ruston, that hosts the Ruston Art Ramble and shares the @upahead.org email domain with Creative Exchange's owners. Likely an affiliated entity; comparable as a creative-services partner within the same North Louisiana ecosystem.
• North Central Louisiana Arts Council: Regional arts council at 212 N Vienna St, Ruston, on whose boards Creative Exchange owners serve. Comparable as a community/arts-ecosystem peer shaping the same North Louisiana creative market, but operates as a nonprofit rather than a retailer.
• Ross Lynn Charitable Foundation: Foundation co-located at 301 N Trenton St, Ruston, on whose board Creative Exchange owners serve. Operates the Ruston Microgallery and related arts programming; functions as a strategic community partner rather than a direct competitor, but shares programming and physical footprint.

Direct peers

• Fine Line Supply Co. Local independent art supply retailer at 207 N Trenton St, Ruston, LA, listed alongside Creative Exchange in the Local Arts directory as a complementary downtown independent competitor. Directly comparable in geography and product category, with similar small/independent positioning.
• Creatives At Work: Neighbor gallery and shop at 112 W Alabama Ave, Ruston, that co-hosts Creative Exchange's Creative Meetups and exhibitions (e.g., Dream Haze closing reception). Directly comparable as a local creative-business venue serving the same North Louisiana arts community.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Creative Exchange