Harborough art gallery wins string of customer-nominated awards

The husband-and-wife team who run the business even ran 'drive-by viewings' during the pandemic
Andrew and Kathryn Cartwright with gallery staff members Sarah-May Johnson and Sally Tomkins at Wingates Gallery in Market Harborough.Andrew and Kathryn Cartwright with gallery staff members Sarah-May Johnson and Sally Tomkins at Wingates Gallery in Market Harborough.
Andrew and Kathryn Cartwright with gallery staff members Sarah-May Johnson and Sally Tomkins at Wingates Gallery in Market Harborough.

A husband-and-wife team who have a popular art gallery in Market Harborough are celebrating winning a string of customer-nominated awards.

Andrew and Kathryn Cartwright run Wingates Gallery on St Mary’s Road, Market Harborough, as well as operating an equally-successful gallery in Leicester.

Their business has now been crowned the best family-owned retail art gallery in the Midlands in the SME News UK Enterprise Awards 2021.

Andrew and Kathryn also carried off the SME News Art Connoisseur Customer Service Excellence Award, the best sculpture artwork gallery in the East Midlands in the SME News Midlands Enterprise Awards 2021 and the Sculpture Artwork Gallery of the Year East Midlands in the Global Business Awards 2021.

And to top it off Wingates Gallery was also hailed the best art gallery in Leicestershire and Rutland in the Muddy Stilettos Awards 2021.

“We are not running these galleries to win awards, but it is always lovely when our efforts are recognised in this way especially when they are nominated by our fantastic customers.

“The awards are reward for all the hard work and dedication that we and our team put into the business.

“Like many businesses we have had a challenging time trying to keep going throughout the lockdown caused by the pandemic,” said Andrew.

“But it made us look at our business differently providing our customers with a collection that cannot be found anywhere else.”

Andrew and Kathryn took over their gallery in Market Harborough in 2017 before opening another outlet in Leicester in September 2019.

“Six months later we had to close down due to the lockdown.

“We reopened the Leicester gallery last month (September), and the Market Harborough one in April, and the future looks bright.

“Throughout the lockdown we had to be creative to survive.

“We had thousands of brochures printed and delivered taking our gallery to our customer’s doorstep as they could not come to us,” said Andrew.

“We also set up drive-by viewings where people drove into our car park in Market Harborough and stayed in their vehicles while we showed them works of art at the gallery front door.

“We also gave tours of the gallery on FaceTime and Zoom.

“Our aim is to take art to the people and we think this is what we have done since we took over the gallery four years ago.

“Winning these awards is a great boost for the team and means we must be doing something right.”

An SME News spokesperson said: “Run by husband-and-wife duo Andrew and Kathryn Cartwright, the dedicated and enthusiastic team at Wingates Gallery prides itself on extending a warm and friendly welcome to all customers, offering great service, a fantastic choice of original and limited-edition art and handmade sculpture, while allowing visitors space to come and enjoy the art on display, in their own time.”

Andrew and Kathryn have over 340 pieces of art, including paintings, sculpture, and ceramics, from 49 artists at their Market Harborough gallery.

To find out more call 01858 465455 or visit www.wingatesgallery.co.uk