In the daytime, MintPress hides under Sather Lane, its doors locked and windows shuttered. But at 6:30 p.m., the store awakens: Energetic music pours out and the space lights up with color.
Inside, MintPress is filled with oil paintings, handcrafted figurines, digital poster art, stickers, 3D printed sculptures and more. The art studio and gift shop officially opened to the public on Valentine’s Day, replacing Art Underground Tattoo Studio, which previously occupied the space.
The store’s origins, however, trace all the way back to co-owners Christiene Lim and Kayvon Haraz’s lifelong love for creation.
Lim brings a background in art history, while Haraz’s is in graphic design and motion animation. Both share a passion for learning and diversifying their art techniques.
“We decided we needed to create a space to put out our art and share our love of art with other people,” Lim said. “And (we needed) a space for other community members, students and organizations to come in and do art and have their art put out.”
From there, MintPress was born. Primarily an art studio, it offers a variety of services, including animation, illustration and even a laser cutter.
Lim and Haraz also sell their own pieces, ranging from landscape paintings and lego figurines to custom crystal sculptures. According to Haraz, the store’s combination of both traditional and technologically-driven art comes from their backgrounds in technology and public health.
Sarah Anzures, a customer who went to MintPress on opening day with her family, said she was referred to the store by a friend. Azures noted being struck by the store’s “very colorful, very artsy” aesthetic.
“The products that were displayed were very unique to my eyes,” Anzures said. “(My son) also likes the store … With kids, they look at the store and it’s colorful and looks creative, and they are enticed to that.”
Anzures said she will definitely be back to MintPress. She is especially interested in customizing a Lego figurine that looks like her son with the store’s services.
Lim and Haraz plan also to host community events and art workshops in the space, including a “Paint & Create” night March 11 and a jazz show featuring local bands March 28.
“We are interested in growing this place into kind of an incubator of sorts for artists and art-adjacent people in the technology world,” Haraz said. “We want to keep creating the work that we have and make it as unique as possible. We just hope that other people enjoy it as much as we do.”