Today we’d like to introduce you to Echo Partners. They share their story with us below:
Echo Gallery was born in 2014 in Johnson City, opened by founder and continuous curator, Linda Haddock. In 2015 Linda Haddock collided (figuratively) with John Sone while kayaking the Nueces River. (It turned out they had crossed one another’s paths for several years, but that’s another story.) The two of them moved the gallery into the historic Henry Ford Model T dealership in downtown Johnson City and married shortly thereafter. They formed a business partnership and purchased the building they were renting. They had a great run in Johnson City, drawing notice in London Timeout magazine as “one of the best day trips out of Austin”, and representing several dozen artists at a time. They sold the large gallery building in Johnson City in 2021, purchasing a commercial complex with a smaller footprint in far south Blanco, TX.
The plaza is next to Yett Park, lending a final twist on the metamorphosis of “the non-gallery art gallery” from an industrial air to one that is more organic. We are ecstatic that our clientele has kept up with us over the years. We stress to them that we’re serious about offering appointments for gallery visits, even though our regular gallery open hours are Friday to Sunday. Our new signature event is the “Noche en Blanco”, a dual tribute to the French “Nuit Blanche” and the Spanish colloquial expression for “sleepless night” offering a late evening of music and art.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Linda signed the deed for the Echo’s original location within 24 hours of seeing it for the first time. Like many artist studio galleries, she lived on-site for a few years. Moving into and renovating the nearly one-hundred-year-old dealership building was a labor of love, chilly nights, a leaky roof, and patience in bringing it to occupationally safe conditions. A sweet memory is the week of the move from the old gallery to the new one, just a few blocks down Main Street. Echo’s artists joined with their fellow art galleries in Johnson City to help move and open the new location within a week.
Mixing the temperaments of an artistically inclined behavior teacher with a retired Army officer can be tricky at times but has generally complemented one another’s strengths. The pandemic closure highlighted this bonding of unusual inventories of skills. Worrisome at first, the partners reinvented the gallery layout, enforced sanitation practices upon opening, and accomplished the roof replacement. Moving the gallery to Blanco at the end of 2021 was yet, another feat.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Echo Partners, LLP dba Echo is two people.
John retired from thirty years of Army service as a Colonel in 2007. (He previously had retirement orders for October 2001, but that’s another story.) John was able to combine his core MBA courses with a Master of Public Administration degree and practiced city management for three years. After meeting Linda he began teaching Public Administration at Texas State University, transferring to the teaching of Political Science at Central Texas College until 2021. A Master Naturalist, John loves the naturalistic influences of Echo’s artists (which includes Linda). In his copious spare time, John consults for Government Relations and tends to the Sone Ranch. Sone mentions, “It’s amazing how much richer one’s life is with art at the center!”
Linda was introduced to design as a youngster in her grandparents’ midcentury modern home in Silver Lake, Los Angeles. As a nineteen-year-old “air hostess” in the 70s for Braniff Airlines, she found herself in a world of haute couture and fine art by the likes of Emilio Pucci, Ferragamo, Halston, Alexander Girard, and Calder. As a lifelong treasure hunter, she was known for stashing everything from rolled-up Persian rugs, lamps, antiques, and art (and once a puppy) in the lavatory of a 727. After the final demise of Braniff, Linda completed a BS degree in Behavioral Science at the UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. Her minor in Art allowed her to connect with those with behavioral issues in the Dallas and Farmers Branch school districts. Since the 90s she maintained a thriving antique business in the design district of Dallas and opened one of the first big day spas in Dallas, Spa at the Marlin which was housed in a former doctor’s office designed in the 50s by a Palm Springs era architect.
During that time she also did freelance design work which included Neiman Marcus, The Crescent, and showrooms at the World Trade Center. Did we mention a love of architecture and restoring houses starting at age 22? Following retirement, Linda retreated to a 19th-century adobe house on the Nueces River and lovingly restored it for three years. This gave her the confidence to give birth to Echo, the “non-gallery” art gallery in Johnson City. Linda says, “It is a culmination of all of my former selves”.
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
Linda advises: “Among the freelance work, I started doing in the 90s was a studio and private design work for the late Dallas photographer, Bob Mader. This world-renowned gifted artist gave me total artistic freedom and taught me to trust my own instincts. Previous to that I often felt my style was unconventional and flawed. I have tremendous gratitude for him and his wife, Judith. They changed my perspective and set me free to explore my talent without restraint.”
Contact Info:
- Website: www.echoinblanco.com
- Instagram: @echoinblanco
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EchoinBlanco
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/EchoinBlanco
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/echo-gallery-blanco
Image Credits
Echo Partners
