How Mo’s Art Supply takes art to heart

When customers step into Mo’s Art Supply, they inhale. Simone Burke’s customers tell her that there’s this certain smell of an art supply store: oil paints, fresh canvas, the warm aromas of charcoal and wood pencils.

The sensory experience is part of why many artists opt to shop locally rather than hitting that Amazon Prime button. They like to come in and pop the top off a tube of paint to examine the color in person, to feel the fuzz of paintbrush bristles and drag them across a clean canvas. Creating art is personal. The team at Mo’s believes shopping for the supplies to make art should be personal, too.

Nearly 15 years ago, Burke founded the first location of Mo’s Art Supply in Covington, where she was involved with the St. Tammany Art Association and the local arts community. She opened a second location in New Orleans. Last year, she chose Mid City Baton Rouge for her third shop, filling a void left behind by the Co-Op Bookstore.

From the moment the doors opened, Burke and manager Alaina Polander aimed to become an integral part of the city’s arts scene. They partnered with organizations like Baton Rouge Gallery and high school art programs and jumped into art hops like the annual White Light Night. Burke believes in the character art adds to a community, and she wants her business to be a lightning rod for it.

“It’s not just a supply store,” Burke says. “I’ve found that it also functions as a meeting ground for so many people.”

In less than a year, Mo’s has already settled into the Mid City community, where artists have become more energized than ever. It’s contagious. Polander has witnessed firsthand the blossoming grassroots efforts of local artists, and she says the shop wants to bolster that by keeping creatives connected.

“When artists are stuck in their studios alone all the time, this is a place where it’s a community,” Polander says. “This is a place to have people who you can connect with, who create art too.” mosartsupply.com

This article was originally published in the May 2018 issue of 225 Magazine.