Princess For A Day: The Julie Dalton Story by John Ney

I first learned of Julie Dalton while having lunch with Thomas Arvid.  He explained the surprise that Francie Dalton had coordinated for her niece, taking place this weekend.  The story of this 29-year-old woman from Baltimore who is self-proclaimed to be “Thomas Arvid's Biggest Fan” intrigued me.  After moving into her first apartment, she chose to invest in her first two Arvid pieces before purchasing any furniture.  As highly as I regard Thomas, I thought, “the real story is about this girl.”

On Saturday, June 25th, Julie Dalton accompanied by a friend arrived at ClevelandAirport after the trip from Baltimore.  All she knew was that this trip was a gift from her Aunt Francie.  A driver in possession of a confidential itinerary for the unsuspecting Dalton waited for them holding a placard labeled “Dalton.”  Upon connecting with his client, the driver drove Julie and her friend to the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in downtown Cleveland, leaving them in the capable hands of the Ritz staff.  The only hint he would offer to what was in store for her next was that he would pick them up after dinner at 7:45 pm.

At precisely the scheduled time, the driver arrived at the Ritz.Leaving downtown Cleveland, the driver still offered no clue to the mystery other than they would receive a ride back to the hotel from “their host.”  They arrived in Cleveland's Tremont neighborhood, a revitalized area of unique shops, trendy bars, chic restaurants, and art galleries.  The latter being their final destination.  As the automobile pulled up to the curb in front of Piccadilly's Fine Art Gallery, the bewildered Dalton peered out of the window and into the gallery; she spotted the artist that she had idolized for so long.

As Julie and her friend walked into the gallery, Arvid immediately recognized her and introduced himself.  Julie immediately saw the Silver Oak piece “Party of One” hanging on the gallery wall.The same piece Julie had agonized over since first seeing it nearly a year and a half before.  Without hesitation, she asked gallery owner P.J. Campbell, “how much?”  Campbell apologetically responded that it was recently sold.

Dalton, born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, raised in Charleston, West Virginia graduated from High School in 1994 and from Texas A&M in 1999 where she had her first wine experience, Franzia White Zinfandel in a box.  During a stint as a waitress at a seafood restaurant in GalvestonTexas, she began learning about wine.  After graduating from Texas A&M with dual majors, Julie accepted a sales position with a firm specializing in research products for laboratories.  She relocated to Clarksville, Maryland, a suburb located between Baltimore and Washington, D.C.  By this time, her appreciation of wine had evolved to the point; Silver Oak Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon was her preferred vintage.

While on a business trip to Boca Raton, Florida in January 2004, Julie and a group of her co-workers decided to take a side trip to Key West, to do some scuba diving.  While in Key West, Julie strolled through “A Boy and His Dog Fine Art, an Arvid dealer and spotted “Party of One”, which “stopped her dead in her tracks” with its photo realism featuring a 1997 Silver Oak Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, her favorite wine and a pinnacle vintage.  Despite it being love at first sight and the encouragement from her friends to purchase the $1200 piece of art, she left the shop that day empty handed; an act that she regretted ever since.

A little over a year later, she bought “So Napa,” which like “Party of One,” features a bottle of Silver Oak, a corkscrew and wineglass, and “Three Down,” both in the same day, although a few hours apart.  After bringing home her “two new children,” she invited her Aunt Francie over to her apartment for a glass of wine.  Julie showed off her newly acquired art and explained in detail her love of Thomas Arvid.  Julie describes her Aunt, Francie Dalton (her father's sister), as her mother and father all wrapped into one.  As a successful businesswoman, Francie is Julie's mentor and role model.  It was Francie, who after learning of Julie's love for Arvid's works, contacted Thomas Arvid Inc., and convinced Thomas to call Julie on her upcoming birthday, April 22nd.

Back at Piccadilly's gallery in Cleveland, P.J. handed Julie an envelope from her Aunt Francie.  While Julie opened up the envelope and read the enclosed card, P.J. telephoned Francie in Maryland, and like a sports announcer, gave her a play by play update of Julie's reaction.  Yes, “Party of One” was sold ... to Aunt Francie, a gift to Julie!