Mary-Jo Monusky earned a B.S. degree in Business Administration from the University of NH in Durham and an A.S. in Fashion Merchandising from Westbrook College in Portland, Maine. She moved to New York City and after two years as an Assistant Buyer in the Jewelry and Handbag departments for Mercantile Stores, she was offered a position as a Buyer for the Accessory Department at Felix Lilienthal Buying Office. She worked with buyers and merchandise managers from all over the country through individual consultations, fashion bulletins, and seasonal slide presentations. In 1984 she made a career change into costume jewelry sales, selling to buyers of large national and regional chain stores. She was a Vice-President for the direct sale jewelry division of Accessory Associates Inc. and increased sales form $1 to$ 3 million in 2 years. She developed new lines of jewelry by working with the designer, reviewing fashion publications, shopping retail stores for trends, and daily communication with buyers.

Even though she majored in business, her first love has always been art. Going to art museums and galleries are among her favorite past times. While in New York, she studied drawing and oil painting at the School of Visual Arts. In 1996, she moved back to Rochester with her husband George. She has continued to pursue her interest in the fine arts through classes, workshops, and museum excursions. She earned her certificate in web design from McIntosh College and continues her studies apprenticing with Rainer Schwake, masters of media design.

With her strong background in business and sales, she is very excited about building the media design division and working on individual and corporate sales of local artists. She and her partners are very committed to being part of the downtown revitalization and promoting the arts in our community.

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