McShanes honor state bird with mural by Cedar Rapids spray-paint artist

Gear Elkader co-owner Kathleen McShane stands with Abby and Paxton Williams in front of the goldfinch mural Paxton recently painted on the back of the store’s building at 201 North Main Street, in Elkader. (submitted)

By Zach Jensen,

Gear Elkader co-owner Kathleen McShane stands with Abby and Paxton Williams in front of the goldfinch mural Paxton recently painted on the back of the store’s building at 201 North Main Street, in Elkader. (submitted)

Many business owners add murals to their buildings’ exteriors to call attention to their businesses or to celebrate art or the artists that paint them. But, Kathleen McShane said she and her husband, Mike, who own Gear Elkader and the Goldfinch Inn at 201 North Main Street in Elkader, added a mural to the second story of the back of their building to give that part of their business a bit of a facelift.

The McShanes bought the property in the spring of 2021, and they had to make some significant renovations in order to build their business.

“The upstairs, on the back, had some ugly, brown paint on it, and we had to do some tuckpointing,” Kathleen said. “So, that wasn’t matching anymore. So, for us, it was important just to cover up the ugly back of our building. Pride in the way our building looks. The other side of the building needs to be painted, but that will come later. Mainly, it was just something to brighten up the space.”

Through Gear Elkader, which also features a coffee shop, the McShanes met Abby and Paxton Williams of Cedar Rapids and learned that Paxton was an accomplished spray-paint artist.

“We’d already decided we were going to do a mural at some point,” said Kathleen, “and we’d met Abby and Paxton the summer of 2021. We knew what he did, so we stayed friendly, and they’d come to visit whenever they were in town. As we finished our remodel on the second floor, to make our suites, we were playing around with names and ideas on what we were going to call it. 

The McShanes bounced some of those ideas off Paxton, 21, who has been spray-painting for the last five years, and the two couples decided to not only incorporate “Goldfinch” into the name of their business but also to have Paxton paint a mural of goldfinches on the back of the building’s second floor, in honor of the Iowa state bird.

Paxton began work on the mural in the first week of October, in just five days the project was complete.

“He’s very detail-oriented, even though it’s a spray can,” Kathleen said. “He’s a real artist. I love it. When someone gives you an idea, that’s one thing. But, when you see it finished, and the colors pop on there, it brightens the whole corner. People really seem to enjoy it.” 

For information on Gear Elkader, visit gearelkader.com, and for information on the Goldfinch Inn, which features short-to-mid-term suites, visit goldfinchinn.com. Or, call the McShanes at 563-245-2521. 

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