Gallery One

Gallery One owner Shelley Liles loves taking away the intimidating feeling a gallery can have on its clients and replacing it with one that's warm and inviting.

"I offer 3,200 square feet of gallery space where I feature all original works of nearly 30 mid-career artists from throughout the country," said Liles, who opened her Belle Meade area gallery in February.

"We place an emphasis on paintings, works on paper, sculpture, and photography, and we serve both residential and corporate clients.

I was ready for a major new challenge in my career and decided to do something that would blend my personal passion for art with my expertise in marketing," she said. Liles-a painter herself who works in the medium of oil - worked as a newspaper reporter covering small business early in her career, and later served as senior vice president of development and communications for the regional office of Girl Scouts.

"I absolutely love owning a business and feeling more in charge of my direction and destiny" she said. "Of course, with that also comes the knowledge that you're fully responsible for any missteps, too."

Shelley Liles

She describes herself as a very research-oriented person who did her homework before starting Gallery One. It's a gamble that's starting to pay off, she said. Liles said obtaining finances to start a business was among her greatest challenges, but that was fortunate to secure a modest loan through a business-friendly, female-headed bank in Cheatham County

Her advice: "Have enough resources to carry you through without a salary for the first several months. Do your homework, and find a respected and knowledgeable advisor." Among her advisors were the Womens' Resource Center, the organization SCORE, and a Nashville art collector who has owned and operated several businesses


Gallery One
5133 Harding Pike in Belle Meade Galleria
352-3006