PITTSBORO — ODDCO, an unconventional art gallery, opened last Saturday on West Street in Pittsboro, welcoming about 400 guests.
The company’s four owners — Cristina Virsida, Tim Lee, David Holt and Justin Ware — opened the gallery in a Lustron-built home, a vestige of the mid-century and the epitome of the early 1950s when it was built. Fewer than 2,500 were built, and the one in Pittsboro is numbered 2,144 and is one of the last ones left, according to Virsida.
The house was purchased by Steve Carr, owner of Pittsboro’s Carr Amplifiers, when the original owner was going to demolish it. Carr moved the house to its current location on West Street. Carr and ODDCO’s owners worked together to get a foundation built and reclaim the structure. They sanded the metal and enamel walls, added insulation, and built a bar with upcycled wood and resin. The building now hosts a “different kind of gallery.”
“It’s a mixture of art from around the country,” Virsida said. “It’s really like outsider art. It doesn’t fit well in a standard contemporary gallery. Most would be considered to edgy or too pop-culture.”
The gallery is funky and unique, boasting a variety of art mediums from sculpture, to jewelry, to fabric art.
“We’ve been in the art movement for a really long time and have seen an interest in this kind of work,” Virsida said. “We’ve been waiting for someone to open a place like this. A standard gallery doesn’t work for this kind of movement. This art is relatable to the every man”
The owners wanted to create the “coolest geek clubhouse,” according to Virsida. The group has plans to expand, with an airstream scheduled to be delivered soon behind the house. The airstream will be a backdrop for a stage the group plans to build.
They plan to have music and other outdoor events. Partnering with the Phoenix Bakery next door to supply food, and selling beer from North Carolina brewers, the group hopes to create events that will “promote the community.”
ODDCO is open from noon until 8 p.m. on Tuesdays through Thursdays, from noon until 9:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and from noon until 4 p.m. on Sundays. It is located at 684 West St. in Pittsboro.
