From the River City to Music City, art and music define couple’s life
The Fogles are no strangers to taking chances and investing in their passions. In fact, Bryan and Leigh Fogle have done so numerous times in their 31 years of marriage.
“We just say, you’ve got to do what you’re passionate about,” Leigh said. “Make sure you love what you’re doing. And if you work hard, you’re going to survive.”
Bryan added, “We’ve done some cool things.”
Taking chances
The two took that first chance together when they decided to move to Jacksonville 31 years ago. Bryan was living in Atlanta, but he was familiar with Jacksonville because his sister lived here. Leigh knew she didn’t want to move to Atlanta.
“And he said, ‘Why don’t we just get married and move to Jacksonville?’ And I was like, ‘Okay,’” Leigh said.
They moved to Jacksonville and had a small, intimate wedding at Washington Oaks State Gardens in Palm Coast on July 31, 1993.
On their one-year wedding anniversary, they took another chance and decided to start Fogle Art Consulting. At that time, no one was really doing art consulting in the area.
Leigh had worked at a frame shop and gallery one summer as a teenager and believes that’s when the seed was planted. And both she and Bryan have an entrepreneurial spirit and so starting a new business wasn’t such a crazy thing.
“We were young and naïve,” she said. Bryan added, “But we worked really hard.”
While the couple admits they floundered a little in the beginning, they eventually figured it out. Part of this had to do with them being brave enough to ask for help from experts and people in the community. They also volunteered at major art events around the city and spent a lot of time forming connections.
When they first started the business, Leigh had a side gig for about six months working on a short-term project and Bryan maintained his job. Eventually they both went “all in” and started working full time for the business. Shortly after, they gained three national clients. Bryan started framing pictures all day and Leigh started selling. Their clients included the Ponte Vedra Inn and Club and Cypress Village.
“We started in the townhouse and before we knew it, there were semis backing up and dropping stuff off, and it consumed the entire townhouse,” Leigh said. “We knew it was time to move out.”
Three years later, they moved the business to Phillips Highway Commerce Park, where they stayed for 10 years before moving to a new location on Beach Boulevard known as The Wave that had a 10,000-square-foot gallery.
Then another opportunity presented itself. Another opportunity to take a chance.
Nashville dreams
In 2010, the couple, along with their two young children, Meredith and Grant, moved to Nashville so Bryan could pursue his dream of being a songwriter.
Bryan had met some wonderful musicians in Jacksonville who took him under their wing and helped him make connections in Nashville. He started traveling to the Music City often. After going back and forth between Nashville and Jacksonville for four or five years, he was finally offered a position as a songwriter at a publishing house.
“It’s a dream come true for any songwriter,” Bryan said. “It was really cool, and I met a lot of interesting people.”
He met Brad Paisley and songwriter Jim “Moose” Brown, who wrote “It’s 5 O’clock Somewhere,” to name a few.
“To be sitting there with one of my writing idols, I was like ‘I’ve finally made it,’” he added.
Back to Jax
While the Fogles enjoyed their time in Nashville, in 2020 they decided to take a chance again and move back to Jacksonville. The family moved into a home in 5 Points while Bryan stayed in Nashville to tie up loose ends there.
Bryan currently works for the Cummer Museum, where he draws on his Fogle Consulting experience to handle all framing and installations for the exhibits.
In their spare time, the couple enjoys scouring for hidden treasures and art pieces in unexpected places.
“We love stuff that you’ll never find anywhere else,” Leigh said. “They all have a story.”
And it helps that Leigh has an eye for “real art.” She can recognize when a piece was made by an artist and is worth more than it’s being sold for.
They both enjoy gardening and tackling projects. They recently completely renovated and flipped a home in Nashville.
“I think Brian and I are doers,” Leigh said. “We don’t like to just talk about things.”
