We sit down with founder and owner of the Gardner Home Collective, Jami Leavitt. Jami bridges the gap of much needed photography studio & event space in Historic Downtown St George.
Q. In your words, tell us about GHC and what it offers?
A. The Gardner Home Collective is the realization of a life long dream I’ve had of owning my own photography studio. I designed it to be a creative studio space that can be shared and used by local photographers, creatives, and artists. People can rent the space hourly or daily to create content for their own businesses and personal art projects. As I’ve worked in other cities and creative markets, I learned that the best way to network and be involved in the creative industry is to establish genuine working relationships with other photographers and industry experts. My goal with the Gardner Home is to create an engaged and vibrant community where collaboration is prioritized over competition.
Q. Tell us about your inspiration to open a studio downtown?
A. The GHC building has been in my family for over 30 years as it housed other businesses. I leased the building from my grandmother in early 2021 and then the opportunity to purchase it came up late last year and I couldn’t pass it up! It’s such a great location being in the heart of St. George right downtown which is my favorite thing about it! The origin story of the building is really fascinating! It started as a local women’s co-op where local women sold their quilts. I wanted to keep the spirit alive by starting my own version of a co-op/collective. It’s been such a convenient place because of how central it is to downtown and close to other neighboring businesses.
Q. What are the membership perks?
A. When you sign up as a member of The Gardner Home you get a reduced hourly rate that is only available to members. This allows local creatives to have an easier entry price point which incentivizes them to use the space more which in turn allows them to earn more money for the businesses and grow our local photography community.
Q. Tell us about the difference between you and other studios.
A. We are unique because of the look and history of our building. The studio is located in an old pioneer home and we’ve kept the charm that is original to the building. We offer a variety of sets that allow for photographers in multiple genres to use the space.
Q.Where can we find you?
A. You can find us on Facebook and instagram @gardnerhomecollective and view our website at www.gardnerhomecollective.com
Q. Anyone can book this space, it’s also for events.. tell us a bit more about that!
A. The studio is a really great space for a variety of people and anyone can rent it. We’ve had people rent it for baby showers, bridal showers and we’ve also had people use it for their bridal getting ready suite. We’ve hosted campaign cottage meetings, and we’ve rented to local community groups looking for a small comfortable space to host meet-ups for the small business groups. We have rented it out to people who hosted a fun chocolate tasting party! Local filmmakers used the building as the set for their short film which won a local film award last fall! It’s really been exciting to see the variety of ways the space can be used.
Q. What type of photos (looks wise) can people expect to get out of their photography session?
A. The space allows for endless creativity. We attract a lot of natural light photographers who shoot with the gorgeous natural light that comes in throughout the building but mainly through the large bay windows at the front of the building. Photographers who use more elaborate lighting set ups have also had success shooting in the space. I’m constantly blown away by how different the studio looks and feels depending on who photographs it. It’s a very versatile space which allows for creatives to have a blank canvas to work with.
