For nearly 20 years, Art Webster has provided both Yukoners and visitors with the work of local artists and jewelers through his retail business first in Dawson City, then at the North End Gallery in downtown Whitehorse.

Now, he's ready to move on.

"It's time to do something different,” he said during an interview last Thursday as he sat in his office at the gallery on First Avenue, discussing his plans to sell the business and retire.

It was in the early '90s that Webster first went into the business of art retail.

Though he had no formal training at the time, he was armed with a keen interest in art and saw a business opportunity present itself in the form of a vacant building put up for sale in the Klondike capital's downtown.

Dawson was buzzing with activity as the town geared up for anniversaries set to happen in the second half of the decade celebrating first the 100 years since the discovery of gold, followed by the century since the Gold Rush, then joining the rest of the world in getting set for a new millennium.

And while many talented artists lived and produced quality pieces, there wasn't anywhere to display and sell them.

"We didn't have an art gallery,” Webster said.

So with a building in place, Webster put his name on the sign opening Art's Gallery.

"That was a lot of fun,” he recalled of his summer business that would open Victoria Day weekend and close in mid-September.

It was an exciting time that involved long days working from mid-morning to after the Palace Grande theatre closed, at around 10:00 each night.

"It was a tense 4 1/2 months,” Webster said of his summers, adding, though, it was always an enjoyable summer.

The building was located in the heart of Dawson's historic buildings. Many who were out taking in the older structures stopped by the gallery.

"It was exciting to exceed people's expectations,” Webster said as he recalled an older building that visitors and locals entered to find beautiful water colours of scenes along the Dempster Highway, original pieces by Lynn Blaikie, pottery by Patrick Royle as well as moose antler carvings and local jewelry among others.

"It was very popular.”

Webster spent his summers in the Klondike while his winters were spent in Whitehorse looking after his two young daughters full-time.

When the space for the North End Gallery opened up at the Horwood's Mall in 1999, the timing couldn't have been better for Webster. He eventually decided to close shop in Dawson, a town he had once presided over as mayor and represented in the legislature under New Democratic Party governments.

His daughters were ready to start school, giving him the time to open up the new business in Whitehorse, and there were a number of art retailers closing up shop in Whitehorse.

While the closures might not be a good sign of a business opportunity, Webster pointed out they weren't all for poor financial reasons.

One closed due to a larger corporate decision, another shop was shuttered due to poor clothing sales (with the arts in the shop essentially keeping the rest of the business afloat) and though another had financial issues, they were largely out of potential customers. They were avoiding the store due to road work.

The space for the North End Gallery was perfect, he said, citing the large windows for displays and natural lighting, in-floor heating and other factors.

"I saw a business opportunity,” he said.

Along with selling the work of local artists and jewelry, the work for the first two years in business focused on getting the fixtures needed for displays, creating those displays and getting artwork from beyond the Yukon as well as the local pieces.

After that, it was up to Webster to decide whether his vision for the Whitehorse gallery had merit. It did, he decided.

"That gave me some encouragement to continue,” he said.

It's been a great place to work, Webster said, noting he's got a great office, is surrounded by great things and gets to meet people from all over the world curious about northern artwork.

"Nobody comes in here in a bad mood,” he said, pointing out that no one absolutely has to go to an art gallery.

Notable visitors to the business over the years have included Governor General Michaelle Jean and her predecessor, Adrienne Clarkson.

Home-making guru Martha Stewart also enjoyed an exclusive couple of hours' exclusive shopping after the store stayed open one evening especially for her.

As he did in Dawson, Webster has always enjoyed trying to exceed the expectations of customers with the shop's features (high ceilings, natural lighting, placement of the artwork and so on), the product and the people.

The three-person staff through the winter, five through the summer, are there to greet customers when they walk in the door and answer questions, whether that be about local artists or where to find a good meal.

"People get an education when they walk in,” he said, noting the gallery has always benefited from hiring Yukoners who have been able to answer almost any question visitors have.

"They know the artists,” Webster said.

While the new owners could potentially keep staff members on the payroll, Webster noted there won't be any full-time jobs lost with the sale.

The other full-time staff member is the manager, who's been there since Day 1, he said, noting the happy coincidence that she was ready to retire at the same time he's ready to sell the business.

As news of his plans have gone public, there have been a number of people stopping in to wish him luck and stating their hope the new owners don't change much.

So far, he's got a couple of inquiries from potential buyers, but that's all he's willing to say on that front.

As a turn-key operation, the new owners would have the business set up and displays in place to simply take over. As Webster said, though, it would be entirely up to the new owners to decide how they want to operate the business.

Right now, the shop's biggest seller are pieces by Nathalie Parenteau, with her work seeming to appeal to all types of people – men, women, young and old, Webster said.

Asked if he had a favourite artist, he couldn't choose, noting while he has original pieces by Robert Shorty, Emily Barr and Jim Robb, among others, they all have a different style and there's something he likes about each.

With a lengthy career as a retailer in the Yukon art world coming to an end, Webster said he is ready for retirement, which will enable him to familiarize himself with the territory's wilderness and those outdoor pursuits once again.