This is the fifth story in a series on the Upper East Side neighborhood of Miami Lakes.
If you’ve ever been on a cruise and had an opportunity to bid on art, chances are the works may have come from a showroom in Miami Lakes Upper East Side.
Located at 16000 NW 59 Ave. is Park West Gallery, a Michigan-based company that auctions art throughout the U.S. and off shore, too, for major cruise lines.
“We were invited to do a test run on Carnival, [and] we have been conducting auctions at sea of fine art for nearly 30 years,” said Executive Vice President John Block, who is based at the company’s Southfield, Mich. headquarters.
The partnership with cruise lines began after the company was already well known for its traveling auctions, he said.
“I believe our oldest partnership is with Celebrity Cruises,” Block said.
The location in Miami Lakes serves as the company’s framing and fulfillment center for both cruise and land-based auctions, said Kelsey Cleary, marketing manager for Park West Gallery.
The company also has galleries in Honolulu; Las Vegas and Detroit and will soon open a gallery in New York City.
It is considering expanding to Key West.
A presence in Miami Lakes for 25 years, Park West Gallery began as a partnership with another art business that eventually dissolved, Block said.
Park West bought the building in town where it is based. Its space includes 181,000 square feet, with showrooms and loading docks, south of Northwest 158th Street.
“We’re centrally located and it’s very easy to get to the airport, and many of our cruise ships come into either Fort Lauderdale or Miami,” Block said.
The warehouse is away from the traffic of Interstate 95, while still being centrally located and easy to access.
The Miami Lakes facility has provided space for the company to accommodate its large daily operations and allowed it to grow into every inch of the building. Employees’ vehicles fill the parking lot.
“We can’t expand anymore because we don’t have room for parking spots, so we’re looking at spaces across the street,” Block said.
He hopes the company continues to grow, especially since a lot of its operations have moved to Miami Lakes from elsewhere in the country.
“It’s just a great community and we love Miami Lakes,” Block said. Much of the company’s employee training happens in town, and staffers often stay at the Miami Lakes Hotel on Main and enjoy Main Street during their trips, he said.