When Veronique Vanblaere closes the door for the very last time at Naked Art Gallery, chances are that she won’t look back with regret.

Vanblaere, 48, says she’s ready to leave the gallery she’s tended with loving care for the past 20 years. Closing her business in Birmingham’s Forest Park neighborhood will give Vanblaere, an artist, more time to devote to her own work, as well as filmmaking and traveling.

Vanblaere admits that she’s burned out on the business aspects of gallery ownership, and during an interview with AL.com, says she’s looking forward to the freedom of being an artist full-time.

“I always enjoyed (running the gallery) until about three years ago,” Vanblaere says. “I started doing more films and traveling from my art, and the gallery was always keeping me from doing too much of that. In some ways it’s been kind of a weight or a break on my art career. I think the gallery did everything it could to help my art career, as far as me being the face of the place. At this point, it’s been so long, and I think I’m ready to try something different and be on my own.”

On May 1, a significant chapter will end in the local arts world when Naked Art shuts down for good, leaving behind a colorful history of shows, artists, openings and creative joie de vivre.

The building at 3831 Clairmont Ave. is for sale via Rick Lovelady of Walton Brown Real Estate, with an asking price of $349,000. Vanblaere, who owns the building, says she hopes it will sell quickly to a buyer who wants to open a business there. Another gallery in the space would be fine, Vanblaere says, but she’s taking the Naked Art brand with her.

“It’s too personal,” Vanblaere says. “When you throw your personality into your business, it’s your thing. Nobody else can be you. If somebody wants to open another gallery and sell a lot of hip crafts and stuff, like we do, they are welcome to do it, of course. But I don’t think they should take over exactly what I did.

“By having this individuality, that’s what made it different. When I decided that I was going to paint my walls colorful, people were like, ‘You don’t do that. It’s an art gallery.’ I was like, “I don’t care. Is that a rule written somewhere, that I’m going to get jailed for?’ If it’s going to be my space, it’s going to be exactly how I want it — anywhere from the colors to the artists that I picked and everything.”

Now Vanblaere is overseeing and organizing the last few shows at Naked Art, going through an upstairs storage space and greeting customers who’ve expressed decidedly mixed feelings.

“Basically, everybody’s been saying the exact same thing,” Vanblaere says. “They say, ‘I am so sad, but I am so happy for you.’ So I put the message out there correctly, because people understand.”

She announced the gallery’s closing in late January, sending a heartfelt message to folks on the gallery’s email list and posting the same text on the gallery’s website and Facebook page.

“This was one of the hardest decisions I have had to take in my entire life, but a few days ago, I made up my mind that it is time to soon close the gallery,” Vanblaere wrote. “It's been 20 wonderful creative years, over which, I have been putting countless hours each week running, promoting the gallery, its artists and the neighborhoods we invaded over the years by creating festivals and organizing events. All this time, I was also trying to find time for my own creativity. I feel like I have given all I had and I am now more than ready to take my turn at being a full time artist.”

Comments from the gallery’s fans followed immediately on Facebook, with most echoing similar themes.

“Thank you for 20 amazing years!” posted Erin Shaw Street. “Naked Art was a beacon of hope when I first moved to Bham — it was one of the only reasons I wanted to stay back then. You had a beautiful vision of what this city could be and truly walked the walk in operating the gallery and building such an incredible community. Thank you for being such a pivotal part of this community, for introducing and cheering for so many artists and for being a friend to me and so many others. I am excited to see what you will do in the next chapter!”

“I can’t cast a glance around my home without seeing some treasure I’ve found at Naked Art Gallery," Lee Thrash posted. “I honestly don’t think I have ever managed to walk out without buying something. Thank you for helping me discover many new artists and artwork. I wish you continues success in your new artistic journeys.”

The gallery recently hosted an opening for “Boss of Me,” a group show devoted to cat imagery. Part of the proceeds from sales will benefit Kitty Kat Haven & Rescue in Hoover. On March 15, Naked Art will unveil its final show, “Yard Art,” featuring functional art for the garden by various artists.

Vanblaere says shows were planned through the end of 2019, but she canceled most of them when she decided it was time to call it quits. The gallery’s closing was announced in advance to give the artists time to make other arrangements for showing their works, she explains. Also, Vanblaere wanted to give customers a chance to drop in, say hello and make their final visits.

“I’m going to miss seeing all these people,” Vanblaere says. “I’ll still see them, because I’m going to do little art shows and things like that. I’m not moving away. But it doesn’t need to be cut short, like all of a sudden. We need time to say goodbye. Nobody can say they didn’t have a chance to come by.”

Naked Art has been in its current building for nine years, and previously occupied two other spaces: one right next-door on Clairmont Avenue and one in downtown Birmingham on First Avenue North. The gallery spent about six-and-a-half years in each of its former homes, before settling into the space it occupies now.

“The first one was wonderful because it was humungous, and it was really affordable, because no one wanted to be downtown,” Vanblaere says “There was nothing going on. And so that was a great place to start, to see if we could make it, and I had so much room that I was able to rent the walls to artists and get guaranteed rent at the beginning of the month, so I could pay the rent. But it was a very different space. We had art classes there and things like that, to make it.”

Vanblaere recalls a fashion show that was part of her early agenda in the downtown space. The event, which was produced on a shoestring, was unexpectedly successful.

“It was July 15. It was as hot as hell, and there was no air-conditioning,” Vanblaere says. “And this guy, who was a clothing designer from New York, didn’t like to fly, so he rode the train from New York, with all his clothing and everything.

“I had a sign on the door, saying ‘Hey, looking for models,’ and two guys walked in, and a bunch of friends doing the modeling, and instead of doing a catwalk, I had pedestals, so they were like statues. I hung a swing from the ceiling, and there was choreography going on and everything. I had another friend doing makeup; I had a friend doing hair … I didn’t have money to pay anybody. Everybody did it just because they wanted to be part of it, and that was so special. I was like, 'I don’t know if this is going to work,’ but it turned out to be pretty good. Nobody bought anything, but back then, downtown, nobody ever bought anything.”

That aspect has changed, of course, and sales at the gallery have grown over the years, providing the artists with income and Vanblaere with a comfortable living. She says she’s never gotten rich at Naked Art — that was never in her game plan — but the gallery has helped Vanblaere to promote her own artworks.

Just as important, Naked Art has prompted other artists to network and find an audience.

“I think I gave people a place to meet other artists,” Vanblaere says. “The biggest thing my artists have told me is that they were able to meet a lot of their friends and make artist connections and everything through the gallery. And they liked the fact that I pushed them.

“A lot of people say they tried new things because I would have a show and I would invite them and say, ‘Oh, you should try doing this.’ And they say, ‘Oh, I can’t do this,’ but then they try and sometimes it brings them to a whole different level of work and somewhere new. Also, it’s been a place where people can come, and find something that’s directly made by the artists — and often meet the artists, who just happen to be here.”

Naked Art places an emphasis on artworks made from recycled materials, in the form of crafts, jewelry, pottery, assemblages, paintings, photographs, drawings and more. Vanblaere’s own work tends to be colorful and upbeat, repurposing various materials for items that range from light switch plates to clothing.

“I’ve been loving creating my clothes and want to do more soft sculptures and installations, with lots of fabric and themes and ideas and maybe some symbolism behind it — things that take more patience and more time that I didn’t have before,” Vanblaere says.

Artists currently showing at the gallery include Eric Johnson, Tina Kirk, Kristie David, Melissa Jones, Delaine Derry Green, Dave Matson, Victoria Puckett and Andrew Cost. Some, like Jones, have been with Naked Art for many years. Others are more recent additions to the roster.

Selling affordable art has been one of the trademarks of Naked Art, where works typically range from about $20 to a few hundred dollars. It’s unusual to find something in the $1,000 range at the gallery, and that’s by design, Vanblaere says.

“You can still come and buy a gift for somebody that’s 10 to 20 bucks, and it’s handmade, and not from a big box,” Vanblaere says. “I think that’s what kept us going through the recession, and we’ve had a couple of those in 20 years.”

Naked Art also developed a reputation as a welcoming space where people can browse the exhibits without feeling intimidated. There’s no pressure to buy, no worries about tracking mud in the door and no intellectual snootiness.

“I want people to feel like they’re walking into a salon,” Vanblaere says. “Plus, the gallery’s in a house, so it fits even better -- to feel good and comfortable and homey, and you want to take some of that home to your house.”

Vanblaere says she’s been pleased to build a community of artists and patrons at Naked Art, and therefore expand the cultural scene in Birmingham. She’s also the founder of Artwalk, an annual street festival that brings artworks to downtown Birmingham.

“When I started Artwalk in 2001 with a couple of people, it was so exhilarating to see that downtown street that was always dead, and see it full of people at night. That happened the first year,” Vanblaere says. “I have no idea how that happened. I mean, we worked really hard, but I managed to run that first Artwalk on $8,000. That was freaking amazing.”

She stepped down as an organizer for Artwalk in 2004, but continues to participate in the festival as an artist.

Vanblaere hasn’t been afraid to try new things at Naked Art Gallery, even when some of her ideas seem quirky or impractical. Case in point: Events that have allowed visitors to pose for photos with two obliging goats, Flanders and Clarine. Tips that the goats and their handlers receive are funneled to charity.

“In January, like three years, ago, I started having those goats,” Vanblaere says. “And you would not believe how many people come in to get their selfie taken with a goat. Whatever it takes to make people come in an art gallery -- sometimes you just have to get goats.”

Vanblaere says she’s not sure if she’ll throw a splashy party at the gallery as her swan song, or if she’ll quietly shut the door and head for her home in Avondale.

Either way, Vanblaere says, “I think it’ll be all right. I don’t take a decision halfway. I think about it for a long time, and once I’m done, I’m not going back. ... I’m feeling pretty good. I hope that freedom and creativity happens."