Megan Fechter, artist of Painted Parcels and founder of The Reverie, is “that” girl who roots for others.
Tucked in a complex, once part of a meat packing facility built in 1920, is her dream fulfilled.
Written on a chalkboard at the entrance is: It’s Okay – To make mistakes, to create a mess, to not know, to take a chance, to be yourself.
“Having this studio space is my way of paying homage to all the women that helped me pave the way and outstretched their hands to me,” she said.
Fechter majored in business administration with a concentration in marketing at Georgia Tech, but it was her minor in social entrepreneurship that sent her abroad one summer to Budapest.
She took classes in her minor and worked for a social startup that supported women in Hungary.
“Whether I knew it or not, the seeds of another direction were planted,” Fechter said.
Toward the end of her college years, her mom was cleaning out the basement at her home and came across a basic watercolor kit. Not wanting to throw it away, she took it back with her to college.
“Art was not in my field of vision, but my first painting of Ramblin’ Wreck soon opened up an business that set me on a path of learning how to paint,” Fechter said.
Despite landing her dream job after graduation, she realized her passion was right in front of her - painting for others.
Several months later she made a phone call to her parents expressing what remained in her heart.
“Instead of passing on her fears and reservations, her mom said, ’Ok, girlfriend, show me your business plan.’
“Those few words changed my entire life,” she said.
With a plan in place, she quit her job and moved into her first artist’s studio. As Fechter continued to grow as an artist, so did her business and community of artists. It was time for a larger space.
“I’d like to think that The Reverie came out of a Craig’s List posting, a dream and a leap of faith,” said Fechter.
The studio was 3,600 square feet. She asked the landlord not to show the space for three days and that night she had a dream about what is now The Reverie.
Connecting with other artists, visits were made. It was the middle of summer. There was no power, it was filthy and smelled.
Her vision was to create a real community of Atlanta women – “The artists, the makers, the designers, the dreamers.”
Fifteen women signed on with only a hope of what it could be.
“Having the empathy of being an artist helped me understand what it meant to be a servant leader in this space,” she said.
Whatever or wherever you are in life, Fechter says, “As long as you have this dream in your heart of what you want to do, we’re going to get your there.”
The Reverie is located at The Railyard, 448 Ralph David Abernathy Blvd., Suite 5, Atlanta
www.thereverieatl.com
Each Sunday we write about a deserving person or charity events such as fun-runs, volunteer projects and other community gatherings that benefit a good cause. To submit a story for us to cover, email us at ajc.doinggood@gmail.com.
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