Color Ink Plans to Open Art Gallery, Storefront

After 30 years of doing business in the printing industry, Color Ink, Inc. in Sussex is doing things in the industry they never thought they would. 

Color Ink has plans to add a storefront for its new FunDeco products line, which is a homegrown custom furniture and décor service the company added two years ago. Owner Jim Meissner also plans to add a fine art studio to showcase and sell art his exhibits throughout Milwaukee and Scottsdale, Ariz.

The studio and storefront will share space at Color Ink’s auxiliary building at W250N6681 Hwy. 164. The FunDeco storefront would be roughly 1,500 square feet, and the art studio would occupy another 800 square feet.

All the buzz at Color Ink has been about their FunDeco products.

“FunDeco has been our baby that we conceptualized two years ago now,” said Ben L Forest, Color Ink’s vice president of finance. “We’re forging to licensing agreements with collegiate team, and we have about 30 names now. It’s been a real grassroots effort.”

FunDeco sells bag toss sets, Tiki bars, shelving, and clocks that can all be customized to specific tastes. They also have specialized furniture for Marquette and the major public Wisconsin universities. They hope the physical storefront will increase brand awareness.  

Meissner has showcased his art throughout the Milwaukee area for over ten years. As his collection continued to grow, so did the demand for a retail space.

Color Ink’s proposal will go before the Plan Commission at 6:30 p.m. Thursday Village Hall for the first set of approvals.