ART A FAMILY AFFAIR FOR ORCHID GALLERY OWNER
\nCurry Coastal Pilot
\nPublished: March 18, 2006<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
By Marjorie Woodfin
\nPilot staff writer
\nCharles Lai, owner of the newly opened Orchid Gallery in Brookings, is a young man who makes up his mind in a hurry and doesn’t look back.<\/p>\n
Lai stopped in Gold Beach a few months ago while looking for a place to open an art gallery. He was unable to find a suitable location in Gold Beach and decided to head back down to his home in the San Francisco Bay area<\/p>\n
As he drove through Brookings, he happened to park on the highway in front of the building at 610 Chetco Ave. When he exited his vehicle he noticed a For Rent sign in the window, called the rental agent, explored the area and took a closer look at the store front, signed a lease, and headed home to pack up and move north.<\/p>\n
“I rented it in about one-half hour,” Lai said.<\/p>\n
Originally from Taiwan, Lai came to visit the United States in 1992, looked around and decided to stay to earn a masters degree in industrial engineering at LaMar University in Beaumont, Texas.<\/p>\n
After earning the degree, Lai worked for the Motorola Co. for nine years in the San Francisco Bay area until the company decided to move that unit to China to reduce costs.<\/p>\n
When faced with the move, “I elected to be laid off,” Lai said. “I had been in industrial management for nine years, and I was ready for a change. I had a high income and a good life, but it was not what I really like.”<\/p>\n
Lai explained, “I was born into a family of artists, painters, poets and performing artists,” He laughed and reminisced, “When I was only 18 months old, my sister offered me to play the part of baby Jesus in a nativity play.”<\/p>\n
Lai then decided this was his opportunity to change his life style and do something he really wanted to do. He said he has the support of his family, especially his sister and his niece.<\/p>\n
Other members of his family have come to the U.S. to study, including his brother and niece, who both attended classes at Purdue University. His brother is now teaching at a university in Taiwan. His niece, who was studying design, cut her education short to return to Taiwan to marry and raise a family, but she also continues to design the jewelry Lai features in his gallery.<\/p>\n
Most of the paintings, scrolls, jewelry, pottery, and poetry featured in Orchid Gallery are the works of family and friends in Taiwan. “My sister collects things for me on consignment,” Lai said<\/p>\n
“I come from a creative family,” Lai explained. He said that although his father was in the military, all members of the family are creative in one art or another. His sister is currently teaching art classes for the army because the Taiwanese military wants its members to be well rounded in all areas of their lives.<\/p>\n
Lai believes it was fate that brought him to Brookings. He said had decided that he wanted to explore Oregon because it is a beautiful state. A friend told him Salem was a lovely city. He headed up I-5, stopped at a Chinese restaurant in Roseburg where the proprietor, also from Taiwan, told him that he should check out Gold Beach, and that put him on the path to Brookings.<\/p>\n
“Is this some kind of fate or something?” Lai asked. He added, “When I want to do something, I say to myself, \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcwhy not.’ So I do it. When I think about something, I go for it, so there won’t be any lost opportunities. If it’s wrong, I can recover. At least I will have no regrets about why I didn’t try something. If I try and fail, so what?”<\/p>\n
Lai is excited about getting acquainted with Brookings residents and visitors. “This location is where I want to live and have my life here. I don’t want to get rich. I just like to communicate with people, not computers. I want a life with relationships.”<\/p>\n
The Orchid Gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. However, since Lai operates the gallery alone, there may be times when it will be closed temporarily if he has business outside the shop.<\/p>\n
Lai’s invitation is open for everyone to come into the gallery, to browse, enjoy the Chinese art, and to get acquainted with the owner.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ART A FAMILY AFFAIR FOR ORCHID GALLERY OWNER Curry Coastal Pilot Published: March 18, 2006 By Marjorie Woodfin Pilot staff writer Charles Lai, owner of the newly opened Orchid Gallery in Brookings, is a young man who makes up his mind in a hurry and doesn’t look back. Lai stopped in Gold Beach a few […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[411],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n