Arthur Scharf and Kristel Driessens are living testimony that the Internet might indeed be a digital Mecca.

The two entrepreneurs, transplants from Seattle now living in the Pojoaque Valley, found love, money, a house and a dog on the Web.

The story of their digital saga began in Seattle where Scharf, had to find a way to make a living because arthritis in his hips made it impossible for him to continue working as a house painter.

His illness led to him turning his hobby into a burgeoning business.

Scharf said he started making blank handmade journals and sketchbooks in 1996 because he couldn't find anything he liked in stores.

"I hand-tore all the paper because I like they way it looked," Scharf said. "It took me forever to make my first book."

He started making books during his lunch hour when he was still a painter. Time and time again the people he worked for would see his books and want to buy one. They were so popular, he began marketing them at art fairs in the Seattle area.

Scharf named his new company Renaissance Art because his friends called him the Renaissance Man. He said his many interests include pottery, photography and playing classical guitar.

From humble beginnings in 1997 — he sold $70 worth of books at his first art fair — Renaissance's product line evolved to 30 products by 2000, at which time he marketed at major trade fairs like the National Stationery Show in New York City, where he wholesaled $25,000 worth of product.

Meanwhile, back in Washington, D.C., Driessens, at native of Belgium, worked as a tour guide. Then, in 2001, after 9/11, the tour business died.

"I began to look around for new opportunities," Driessens said. "One day, on an online dating service, I met Arthur."

In January 2002, Driessens flew to Seattle, arrived at Scharf's house unannounced and their digital relationship blossomed into a bicoastal love affair.

"Our first date lasted one month," Driessens said. "We drove across America in Arthur's 1973 green Ford pickup, doing trade fairs together."

With Driessens taking over the administrative part of the Renaissance business, Scharf had more time to follow his passion of designing new products.

Renaissance now had a product line that included a variety of handcrafted leather books and bags, but in 2002 the business was faced with a crisis.

Mom-and-pop stores started closing down and our trade-show business slowed down, Scharf said as more people bought on line.

Enter the digital phase of their business.

In 2003, they launched their first Web site on the day after Thanksgiving. Their first day on the Web produced $500 in retail orders and $17,000 in Internet retail sales in the first 30 days.

"We were stunned," Scharf said. "It was really hard to believe."

Fast-forward three years. Renaissance grew from a kitchen tabletop business to a 1,500-square-foot studio on the Seattle waterfront. Sales were up, but the couple wanted out of Seattle.

"We grew to hate Seattle because of the ridiculous traffic and the influx of people with bad attitudes," Driessens said.

Their search for a new home was narrowed to either the Taos or Santa Fe area. They choose Santa Fe after an Internet real-estate search located a home on Bouquet Lane in Pojoaque.

They left Seattle on Aug. 10, 2006, and opened their new studio Aug. 15 in the El Rancho Bar.

The El Rancho Bar studio presented a challenge to the hardworking couple.

"We had very little heat," Scharf said. "During the winter, we had to scrape ice off the toilet seats."

In March 2007 they moved to their 28,000-square-foot studio, where with four employees, their business continues to grow.

The studio is adjacent to their home, which is protected by a dog they purchased on the Internet.

With a 600 percent increase in business since launching the Web site, the industrious couple — they put in more than 60 hours a week — continue to create and expand.

Last week, they produced their first custom-made leather laptop bag. A search of their site — www.renaissance-art.com — reveals a vast array of products, like custom leather bags, leather book covers, leather journals, photo albums and folios.

"If you can draw it, we can make it," Scharf said. "We love designing custom-made products."
Renaissance is developing a new Web site, which will include videos in an effort to make it more user-friendly.

Approximately 600 visitors click on their site every day, with a sales-conversion rate of 2 percent to 5 percent, Scharf said.

"The Internet has changed our life in so many ways," Driessens said. "On the World Wide Web, there are no boundaries. We market all over the world with customers in Iceland, Hong Kong, Japan, Africa and France."

"I'm in love with Pojoaque Valley," Driessens said. "My favorite view is the barrancas."

For Scharf, it's the trees of Pojoaque.

"We have over 70 trees growing on our one acre," Scharf said. "Their beauty is incredible."