Our Story
The Corner Store Gallery, July 2023, photograph by Kirsten Cunningham.
Our Story
Madeline Young grew up in Orange, just around the corner from the gallery, buying lollies in the ’90s when it was Thommo’s Corner Store. After high school, the budding artist travelled in the US teaching art and jewellery classes at summer camps and then completed a degree in Fine Arts at The University of Newcastle in 2009.
Returning to Orange in 2011, Madi spent the next four years working on her art practice and joined Kinross Wolaroi School as the Artist in Residence. Around that time, Madeline recognised a lack of galleries and exhibition spaces in Orange outside of the Regional Gallery, yet an abundance of local makers and artists.
Rooted in Madeline’s own challenges as an emerging artist, she used to joke that she’d open a gallery of her own one day to fill the gap in the market, little did she know this would come true…
In 2014, the soon to be gallery director realised the little corner store, which was operating as a hairdressing salon, just down the street from where she was living was for sale. At the same time, Madi’s parents were looking for a little “fixer-upper”, and it was her mum’s idea, Suellen Young, to start a gallery. The artist would be able to live out the back of the shop so that it could work financially. Suddenly the dream she never knew she had was a possibility.
The Corner Store Gallery in early 2014, before renovations began.
And so, with an impressive renovation ahead of them, the Young’s bought the shop. Madi’s dad, Rob Young, worked all hours of the day for six months on the upgrade. Patching up holes and replacing windows, removing walls and hair washing basins, demolishing a floating panelled ceiling and cleaning up the original, rusty tin ceiling underneath giving the gallery more height and space. They took the bars and blinds off the large windows, painted it all white, installed proper lighting and a hanging system and suddenly East Orange had an art gallery!
The first exhibition by Nicole Chaffey in August 2014 was a success with over 200 people attending the Grand Opening Night—it was clear that the community was supportive from the start.
The Corner Store Gallery “before and after” in 2014.
After loving living in the one-bedroom studio apartment out the back of the gallery for three years, when Rob retired in 2016, he got to work building a new home for Madi that was detached from the gallery.
Collaborating with architect Casey Bryant of Trias Studio, the Young’s designed a beautiful, practical and incredibly spacious home. Casey’s design recently won the best new Infill Development award for the Orange City Council Cultural Heritage Awards. They worked together with a new local company Hype Building and Construction — the building process was so enjoyable that Rob even came out of retirement to work for the boys at Hype!
Falling pregnant during the build, Magnus was born in March 2018, and Madi took some time off. This was a turning point revealing that the gallery could be run flexibly, but still efficiently. As such, the gallery now has lots of accommodating rental options for artists, designers and teachers to make the space their own.
The Corner Store Gallery residence under construction in 2017.
Fast forward to 2020, and the galley holds exhibitions, pop-ups and workshops regularly, showcasing a diverse range of work and events of many talented locals, as well as artists and designers from all over Australia. Holding two to three group exhibitions alongside solos and Pop-Ups each year provides artists with opportunities to get involved and join the community — often they are the most popular events and are a fantastic way for emerging artists to be discovered!
Joining the regular exhibition planning, the gallery is now host to a tri-annual exhibition in collaboration with The Journey Person Collective. Supporting regional designers and artisans based in the Central West, the gallery hosts Handmade Pop-Ups featuring beautiful, locally made wares.
Today, you can rent the gallery for one-to-three-week blocks, either managing the event yourself or with assistance from our team. The former corner store is a blank canvas, and the Corner Store Gallery sets out to provide high-quality facilities, support and promotion to creatives while ensuring the best possible platform to facilitate all inspiring ideas.
The Corner Store Gallery, July 2023, photograph by Kirsten Cunningham.