Patrick Hoagland: a fine (art) balance.

• Author: Lindberg, Kelley J.P.
• Position: People

AS PATRICK HOAGLAND relaxes on a tangerine-colored 1950s-era Manhattan sofa in The Forum Gallery, he pauses to contemplate his approach to business. "Balance and creativity," he says, an easy smile crinkling the corners of his eyes.

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As the owner of two businesses in downtown Salt Lake City, Hoagland expends a lot of energy balancing his time and his personal interests. The result is a successful career selling the two things he loves most: vintage furniture and art.

Fifteen years ago, the Salt Lake City native house-sat for a doctor. When the doctor moved to New York, he told Hoagland, "Not only will you sell my house, but you'll sell the furniture in it, too."

"I always loved vintage furniture," says Hoagland, who has a BFA from the University of Washington in Seattle, so it was the opportunity he'd been looking for. He leased space from Artspace, Inc., a visual arts organization that provides living, studio and gallery space for Utah artists, and opened Elemente. His store quickly became a fixture in downtown Salt Lake City for high-end used and vintage furniture.

Hoagland's track record with Elemente led Artspace, Inc., to hire him three years ago to manage a new art gallery on the corner of 500 West and 200 South, across from The Gateway. Artspace wanted someone who could produce art shows as well as manage special events during the Winter Olympics.

Last summer, Artspace offered to sell Hoagland the gallery, and he took it. Now known as The Forum Gallery, the glass-walled, 4,500-square-foot space has evolved into the type of gallery Hoagland has always wanted to run.

Dividing his time between the gallery and Elemente has already become second nature. Hoagland spends sixty percent of his time at The Forum Gallery, much of which happens at night when he sets up new shows and events, and spends the rest of his time at Elemente.

But Hoagland balances more than just his time. "You have to find balance in the art of...