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Artista Studios Celebrates Opening Of Bridgeport Location

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. -- Mayor Bill Finch joined City Council members and Artista Studios and Monument Works owner Jim Bria at a ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday, July 23, for the opening of another small business in Bridgeport.

Owner, Jim Bria with unfinished sculpture the Assumption at Artista Studios and Monument Works in Bridgeport.

Owner, Jim Bria with unfinished sculpture the Assumption at Artista Studios and Monument Works in Bridgeport.

Photo Credit: Artista Studios website

Located at 317 Mountain Grove St., Artista is the latest company to benefit from Bridgeport’s Small and Minority Business Resource Office program. The organization provides training and connections for entrepreneurs to create businesses and compete for city contracts, such as school construction projects.

Artista produces custom design monuments, artwork, and dimensional stone both for the monument industry and religious and spiritual industry. Owner Bria is a Fairfield County native with more than 40 years of experience in the stone business.

"Our mission at Artista Studios and Monument Works  is to assist you in returning to the experience of a bygone era where artistry is created," its website says. "Our artists work in all mediums of art. We can create the most breathtaking inspirational art imaginable, as well as any stone dimensional project you may need designed and fabricated. 

"Our studio offers  memorials and monuments from the basic to the most elaborate design you require, in addition to repair and restoration services." 

When searching for a location for Artista, Bria found Bridgeport most welcoming.

“We thought Bridgeport, as Connecticut’s largest city, would be a good market to be in,” said Bria in a statement. “We decided to invest in Bridgeport and we’re quite happy we did. Everyone has been very receptive and supportive. This has been a really a good place to do business.”

Since its inception in 2008, the city has hired its first African-American construction manager for a school project and seen four minority-owned businesses create joint ventures with established firms. All told, the organization has awarded more than $50 million to small, minority- and women-owned businesses.

“With another business opening here in Bridgeport we see the importance of a city government that focuses on job creation and supporting small business. Businesses like Artista Studios with the support of the City of Bridgeport’s Small and Minority Business Resource Office are making our city better every day,” said Finch in a statement.

For more information on Artista, visit artistastudiosllc.com.

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