Wild Ruby Artisan Galleria is For Sale

In March 2012, Perry Lowell Bent purchased Wild Ruby Artisan Galleria as a retirement business.  

The unique store, located next to J&M Diner in the Old Path Village Plaza, off Route 126, sells artisan crafted items. It is the place many residents go to for hostess and celebratory gifts.

Bent, a fiber artist with a studio in Saxonville, works full time with a software company in Concord. When she purchased Wild Ruby she hired an interim manager, until she could manage it full time after retirement.

But shortly after she purchased Wild Ruby, she was diagnosed with a gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST), which is a rare type of tumor that occurs in the esophagus, stomach, gallbladder, liver, small intestine, colon, rectum, and lining of the gut.  

GISTs belong to a group of cancers called soft tissue sarcoma.  Most cancers are carcinomas, not sarcomas.  There are about 5,000 GIST sarcomas in the the U.S. annually. There are no known environmental or behavioral risk factors contributing to GIST. 

"My GIST was found during a routine colonoscopy in the rectum," said Bent. "There are only 5-25 cases in the USA per year - and was deemed to be high-risk for recurrence or metastasis after it was surgically removed."

Her surgery was September.

"Surgery can be curative, but stray cells in the bloodstream can spread the cancer. 

In GIST, the most common sites for spreading (metastasis) are the liver and the abdominal membranes," according to a medical web site.

There are "targeted molecular therapies" for GIST - starting with Gleevec, then Sutent, and then Regorafinib - that are taken to try to prevent reoccurrence, metastasis, or progression of the cancer.  

These treatment drugs are expensive. For example, Gleevec costs about $120,000 a year, said Bent. Patients take the drug until it fails to work anymore and they they try a new treatment drug.

"Most people with GIST, even those with advanced disease, can live for years after their initial diagnosis," said Bent. "Trials for new drugs are in process, but so far nothing will "kill" GIST that has spread."

Bent started Gleevec last October. She said she will be on it for "at least 3 years or until it fails."

"Like most cancer drugs and surgery, there are side effects of fatigue and nausea, as well as other pleasantries," said Bent. "Unlike chemotherapy, I won't lose my hair, so at least I look well."  

Battling cancer has left Bent at a fatigue level that she can't grow Wild Ruby, as she had planned.

"I have realized that it's not going to be something that I will be physically able to do with cancer treatments.  So, I'm looking to sell the business," said Bent. "I hope to sell it to someone, who will enjoy it as much as all of the "Rubies" do."

Bent said Wild Ruby is a "a fun business to be in, full of color, interesting people, and unlimited possibilities." 

The store sells unique artisan crafted items, from jewelry, to scarfs, to hostess gifts, to baby and children's gifts.

Bent said ideally she would like to sell to a new owner before the holiday season, but definitely before her lease is up in February 2014.

"The landlords are wonderful," she added.

"Now is the time to be thinking about investing in this business with the upcoming busy holiday, since the slow months of the summer are behind us," said Bent.

Bent said everything in the store, minus a few personal items are for sale, including but not limited to "displays, inventory, consignment contracts, security camera and monitor, customer list, copyrights, website and email accounts, social media accounts, custom phone number, telephones and answering machine, computers, software, etc."

She said Wild Ruby, and its "excellent business reputation will be sold for just the cost of current inventory, a real bargain."

"It is a perfect retirement business, especially for an artist or artisan," added Bent.

Anyone interested in purchasing Wild Ruby can make an appointment either on weekdays from 4:30 to 6 p.m. or during store hours on Saturday or Sunday.  To set up an appointment, please email perry@wildrubygalleria.com