MOUNT VERNON — Two very different new businesses should be opening this spring.

In late spring, Katherine and Andrew Lane plan to open Root Art Center at 212 S. Main St., the former location of Katie’s Amish Kitchen. It will be a combination art gallery, studio and classroom.

In early April, Doug Hawk will open Danville Outdoors, a hunting and fishing supply store, at 615 S. Market St. in Danville. The store will sell items such as guns, fishing and tackle, outdoor clothing and hunting and fishing licenses.

Katherine Lane said Root Art Center will have a gallery featuring the work of local artists which customers can purchase. There will be monthly gallery openings to spotlight different artwork, whether it be that of an individual or a group. She will teach classes on everything from painting, sculpture to ceramics in another part of the center. There will also be a kiln for ceramic work.

Small separate studios will be available for local artists to rent. She said these are places where artists can feel free to make a mess and do their work. Having the studios in the same place helps create a sense of community amongst the artists and also enables them to share resources such as art-related supplies, Lane added.

Lane has a B.A. in Art and Fine Arts from the Mount Vernon Nazaren University; her husband is an art teacher in Marion. She said she has been teaching private art classes for two years and the class size has been growing. Lane said she looks forward to helping more people create, understand and recognize art in their everyday lives.

She said she and her husband want to work with other downtown businesses and take part in community events like First Friday.

“We look forward to being a place people can come and enjoy themselves,” Lane said.

Asked to explain the motivation behind opening the center, Lane said she and her husband saw a growing need in the community for a center that could help bring the art community together.

“We want to be another place for artists to use as a resource,” she said. “We’ve seen a lot of growth in the arts in the community.”

Lane said said she wants to work together with the Knox County Art League and the North Main Gallery, both of which are very good at what they do. She wants the center to help enhance the local art community.

In Danville, the new hunting and fishing will open in the old Dale Hammong’s grocery store, according to Hawk.

“Danville has been without a hunting store for years,” he said. “There are a lot of hunters in the area.”