The boots are changing feet at the Boot Hill Gallery and Gift Shop in downtown Okotoks.
Artist Bernie Brown and his wife Margie transformed the building from a bank in 2006 into their second location for the western-themed store.
The first location for Boot Hill Gallery was in Longview and later a third location was added in High River, but today the Okotoks location is the only one remaining.
The new owners, Roxie and Stan Maier and Carol and Brooke Bishop, took over on Feb. 1.
Carol Bishop has been a regular customer at Boot Hill Gallery for years, so when Brown informed her that they were planning on selling the store she jumped at the opportunity.
Roxie Maier and Carol are sisters who, with their husbands, have been looking to start a business together for some time now.
Bishop said that when Brown had approached her she thought it would be a perfect fit.
“It’s an absolute honour and blessing to have the store,” she said.
Bishop said that when she showed the Maier’s the store they loved it right away.
Brown is famous for his pencil artwork of wildlife, ranch and prairie themes and has won several national and international awards for his prints over the years.
He says he hopes to create artwork to sell at the gallery and might help his son with his cattle business.
“Depends on the ideas and the time,” he said.
When Brown was traveling around to art shows he was creating around 15 to 20 new pictures a year, but over the past few years has slowed down to around five or six.
“I like to take my time and come up with neat ideas,” he said.
Brown was a former junior high art and gym teacher in Saskatchewan before he put teaching behind him to pursue becoming a full-time artist in 1989.
Brown says he has never regretted the decision to pursue his artistic visions because it allowed him the chance to have a lot of freedom in what he does day-to-day.
“I always liked art, but I never thought of it as a business,” Brown said.
Brown credits his wife’s hard work to the success of the store. He said the new owners are equally equipped to run the business, adding it will be a “smooth transition” and customers won’t notice the difference.
