The name on the door is a family joke that became a brand: Sophiella is a play on the first names of Kim and Clark Kelly’s two grandmothers, Sophia and Ella. Since 2018, the gallery bearing that name on Dauphin Street in downtown Mobile has worked to become exactly what its owner hoped for, a place where art and community meet without intimidation.
“I believe Sophiella Gallery should be a third place,” Kelly said, invoking the urban-planning idea of a spot that is not home and not work. “Not home, not work, but a place you can come to decompress and enjoy art. I never want people to feel intimidated, or that they must purchase art when they visit. I just want it to be a safe place to take a break from life and enjoy.”
From North Dakota Wheat Farms to an Air Force Life
Kelly’s path to Mobile was circuitous. Born in Minot, North Dakota, to parents who were children of Norwegian immigrants and grew up on homesteaded wheat farms, she moved to the Washington, D.C., area as a third-grader when her father, a legislative aide, relocated the family. She grew up in Reston, Virginia, and earned a BS in communications from Virginia Tech with an emphasis on film, video and photography, then produced commercials and instructional videos for a D.C. post-production house.
There she met Clark Kelly, a Mobile native working as an accountant. Clark, however, had always wanted to fly, and the couple’s life changed fast: he passed the exams and flight test for Air Force pilot training, graduated at the top of his class, and was assigned to Torrejon Air Force Base near Madrid to fly F-16s. The couple squeezed in a wedding between pilot training and deployment, and the first Gulf War sent Clark to Baghdad. Kim, meanwhile, set up a darkroom in Spain, developing her own film and prints.
After two more years in downtown Madrid and an assignment to Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, where both of their older daughters were born, the Kellys decided against a lifetime of military moves. Clark joined his family’s business, and the family moved to Mobile in 1995, settling in Midtown for 20 years and adding a third child along the way.
Portraits, Houses and a Building for Sale
Kim built a children’s and family portrait business, shooting everything outdoors in natural light and printing in black and white, after friends who admired her family portraits asked her to photograph theirs. Along the way she and Clark began buying, fixing and flipping houses in Mobile and Baldwin Counties, and it was a house-hunter’s habit that led to the gallery. Sitting at Panini Pete’s on Dauphin Street, they noticed a building for sale across the road, bought it as their first commercial investment, and spent a year renovating while visions of an art gallery took shape.
The timing was lucky. Cathedral Gallery was closing, local artists were looking for a new showcase, and the idea of gathering local artists alongside artists from outside the area in one tasteful setting drew unanimous enthusiasm. The grand opening in 2018 brought out artists’ friends, family and followers, and Mayor Sandy Stimpson came to welcome the new business. “The community responded in such a positive way, and we felt so embraced by the city,” Kelly said.
Getting Involved Downtown
That welcome pushed Kelly into civic life. She told her gallery’s story to the Downtown Rotary Club and then joined, followed by the Chamber of Commerce, the Downtown Mobile Alliance, Visit Mobile and Impact 100 Mobile. The Downtown Mobile Alliance later recognized the gallery’s contribution with its Mainstreet Mobile Engaging Third Place award.
The gallery’s business model reflects her philosophy. Art is brokered directly between artist and collector, with works at all price points starting at $20 and a specialty in larger canvases suited to interior designers. Kelly carries artists she describes as relatable, whimsical, playful and peaceful, most trained in painting or three-dimensional work, with a noticeable water influence reflecting the Kellys’ life at Dog River, where they moved a decade ago. Collectors are encouraged to take pieces home on approval, and she facilitates commissioned work when a designer’s client needs a specific size. The gallery opens for Mobile’s ArtWalk every second Friday and rents the space for private events of up to 50 people.
For Kelly, the gallery’s role in downtown’s resurgence is part of the point: a draw that brings people downtown to shop, dine and be entertained, with jazz on the speakers and no pressure at the door. “The beauty of an art gallery is bringing artists and collectors together,” she said. “It’s helped Sophiella Gallery live up to its slogan, connecting people with art that speaks to them.”