“That’s 110 Tom-sized paces,” Mackerel Sky employee Sara Pulver said, laughing in reference to business owner Tom Dufelmeier. “I love the new location, you feel more a part of downtown.”

Friday marked the opening day for the well-known gallery at its new location, 211 M.A.C. Ave., after a five-day break in business for the move.

Dufelmeier said the move is a positive change for the business, which features artists from across the United States, including many from Michigan.

“Our lease was running out and we were looking for a place we could be for another 10 years,” he said.

“This is a great location, it’s a little bit larger and we have a 10-year lease.”

Dufelmeier said Mackerel Sky is named after a good omen for sailors — a cloud formation following a change in the weather before or after a rain. He and his wife Linda opened the gallery about 20 years ago, a new project after many years of working in the craft industry, Dufelmeier said.

“People in the area are very supportive of us,” Dufelmeier said.
“We buy 95 percent of our pieces from individual artists in small studios in the U.S. We carry jewelry, ceramics, blown glass, furniture and art-to-wear clothing.”

NICHE magazine, a Maryland-based publication working to connect craft retailers and art galleries in the U.S. and Canada, named Mackerel Sky one of the “Top 25 Retailers of American Craft” in 2006.

“The Dufelmeiers are very stable and have really always been an anchor for that part of the main street establishment (in East Lansing),” said Chris Triola, an MSU alumna and
a featured fiber artist who exhibits her work at Mackerel Sky.

Triola said she travels the country to exhibit her art, but said she’s lucky to have a well-established gallery like Mackerel Sky in East Lansing.

“In this day and age, it’s remarkable that they have this chance to expand and grow,” Triola said. “This move puts them even one step closer to the heart of the action.”

Dufelmeier said the gallery exhibits anywhere from 250 to 300 artists every year in shows, each held for six weeks at a time.

“We try buying from individual artists directly, eliminating the middleman,” he said. “We think this is the fairest way to trade.”

Pulver said she thinks the gallery is unique.

“We sell American-made products, which is really nice,” Pulver said. “I love working here because I get to see new things every day, new things are always coming in, and we’re always finding new artists.”