A charming menagerie of animal artwork at Little Wares, 8117 Germantown Ave., reveals the magical touch of West Mt. Airy artist Allyn Howard, whose illustrations now grace the pages of "Fall Parade," a children's book by Camelia Kay recently released by Abrams Books.

Howard will be signing her new book at Little Wares on Germantown Avenue on Saturday, Nov. 30, from 10 a.m. to noon.

"Allyn's work is so wonderful," said shop owner Kristin Ramirez. "People who see it cannot help but be charmed by it. As soon as I saw her paintings, I knew we needed to display them in the shop for everyone to enjoy. Meeting this very special artist and getting your book signed by her is such a special treat.”

Like so many others who were forced to do some serious self-reflection during the 2020 Covid lockdown, Howard started looking more closely at what she wanted for her life. She’d been working for years as a scenic artist in the film and TV business and had started licensing her art to children’s book publishers. 

But she was ready for a change. She was living in New York at the time, but was traveling to her hometown of Richmond, Va., more often to visit her mom, who had moved into an assisted care home after the recent death of her father. That took her through Philadelphia – a city she had visited years ago when touring the Tyler School of Art.

“It didn't take long before I learned that I could afford to buy a rowhouse with a front and backyard for a third of the cost of a Brooklyn apartment,” Howard said. “That stayed with me.”

Then, in the spring of 2021, she was diagnosed with breast cancer, “which gave me the boost I needed to take some chances,” she said. So a few months later, when an art director asked her to illustrate a children’s book, she said yes. 

“I was lucky that (the cancer) was caught early,” she said. “And the book deal was fortuitous since I could work from home.”

Deciding on Mt. Airy

Then she and a group of friends found themselves discussing a possible move to Philadelphia. 

“One couple was considering a move, and asked if I'd heard of Mt. Airy. I think someone in their apartment building had told them about it,” she said. “I was curious because most people who knew I was thinking about a move to Philly mentioned Fishtown.”

But then another friend reminded her that they used to work with someone whose sister had moved to Mt. Airy from Brooklyn. So in the summer of 2022, she and a friend started seriously looking. At one point, they looked at 16 places in one day, visiting Manayunk, Roxborough, East Falls, East and West Mt. Airy and Chestnut Hill.

"Mt. Airy charmed me for all the obvious reasons,” Howard said. “I love the older homes, the details and character, the tree-lined streets and gardens, and people were so friendly.” 

Then, one day when she and a friend were sitting in a Virginia cafe, her agent took her on a Facetime tour of a house that was about to go on the market.

“She felt like I did: 'Go for it!',” she told me. “On my drive back to Brooklyn, I stopped to see it in person. And the rest is history.”

And today, Howard describes it as the best decision she ever made. 

“I absolutely love it. There's a real community here, and I feel incredibly lucky to be part of it. My neighborhood is full of pretty gardens reminiscent of quaint English villages, and I can walk to several cafes, bars and restaurants."

A long – and circuitous – career

Howard graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University in 1989, majoring in Communication Arts & Design with a minor in painting. She moved to New York in 1990 and graduated from New York University with a master's in Studio Art in 1992.

During her years in New York, she held a variety of paying jobs while trying to make it as an artist. She was a receptionist at an ad agency, a gym and waited tables at a SoHo cafe. She also freelanced for an animator and helped to build theater sets and event exhibits.

At one point, armed with contact information for some production designers, she made some cold calls – and got work on some low-budget and independent films. She did "scenic work," which meant doing all the prep, painting, wallpaper and faux finishes for sets, furniture and props. One of her first union jobs was on "The Sopranos."

"It was a thrill to be on such a great show – one that my parents actually watched!” she said. “I've worked on countless TV shows, some films and lots of commercials. Most people would be surprised by all the work that goes into even the silliest of commercials. It can be an exhausting job, but you work project to project, so it gives you time to focus on your own work, also."

She painted murals on the side for a while, mostly in nursery and kids' rooms. That business eventually led to her being recruited to illustrate children's books.

"I love painting animals," she said. "I didn't have a pet until I found a beautiful orange cat roaming around our apartment complex when I was 8. Unfortunately, pets weren't allowed. We had to hide Cubby (I named him) whenever the landlord was around.” 

Thankfully, that didn’t last long. By the time she was nine, her parents had bought their own house – and adopted a neighborhood puppy and later two golden retrievers.

“My parents liked to joke that they bought the house for Cubby’s sake,” she said. 

For more information, visit little-wares.com or email contactus@little-wares.com. Len Lear can be reached at lenlear@chestnuthilllocal.com