Little gallery, big ambitions
By Casey Gillis on Jun. 07, 2007
MONETA — Carol Swain says her husband, Ken, used to joke about her penchant for rearranging the furniture in their home.
“He’d say, ‘I go to bed and wake up, and everything’s different,’” she says with a laugh.
But in the 20 years since she’s co-owned Smith Mountain Lake’s The Little Gallery, “I don’t do it anymore,” she says. “I get it out here.”
She’s got a lot to work with — the items on display in the gallery include paintings, sculptures, woodcarvings, pottery and handmade jewelry made by local, regional and even some international artists and craftsmen.
The gallery gets new shipments in two or three times a week, so there’s always something to be done.
“Virginia has just got a wealth of talented, gifted people,” says co-owner Kay King. “It totally amazes me when a new one walks in. … Watching them grow and succeed has been a real joy to both of us.”
Raleigh, N.C., resident Rory Parnell first came up with the idea for The Little Gallery. She already owned a couple of galleries in North Carolina and wanted to open one at the lake, where she owns a second home.
“Everybody laughed,” King says. “There wasn’t a whole lot here back then, but the growth of the lake just keeps on keeping on.”
At the same time Parnell’s plans were coming together 20 years ago, Swain and her family had just relocated to Smith Mountain Lake.
“I moved here from New Jersey wanting to open a business, but I wasn’t sure which one or which kind,” she says.
Then Ken Swain — director of what was then the Smith Mountain Lake Partnership and is now the Chamber of Commerce — met Parnell, who was looking for someone to partner with on the gallery.
The rest is history.
Parnell found the perfect location in Bridgewater Plaza, which at the time only housed an ice cream parlor, a florist and the Chamber of Commerce office, Carol Swain says.
Now, it’s a bustling shopping center with a miniature golf course, rock climbing wall and several restaurants and shops.
“She had the vision, of course, and the dream and the experience,” Swain says.
Swain was interested in art, “but not to the extent that it (has) developed into,” she says. “Now, of course, I’m crazy about it. … It so much just becomes a part of you.”
King, a West Virginia native, came into the fold in the early 1990s, after her late artist husband, Ed, started displaying his work at the gallery. She became a partner, and she and Swain bought Parnell out last year.
Once a month, the gallery features the work of one artist, who’ll also come and paint on the deck outside the gallery.
“We try to keep it interesting,” King says. “People love to see people paint and make jewelry. … You never know what an artist is going to do. They take liberties and have fun.”
The charm and beautiful location of the Little Gallery has garnered it national attention on several occasions.
In 2003, Southern Living magazine named it one of its “203 Favorite Shops,” and this year, the gallery is a nominee in NICHE magazine’s 2007 Top Retailer Awards (the winners will be announced Aug. 5 at a ceremony in Philadelphia).
Recognition like that always surprises Swain.
“We’re kind of out in the middle of nowhere,” she says. “I’m sure people think, ‘Moneta, Virginia, where in the world is that?’”
To celebrate the gallery’s 20th anniversary, Swain and King are throwing a party from 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday, which will feature six different artists painting out on the deck in front of the gallery. They’ll continue the celebration all month long by featuring new work by 20 of their top-selling artists.
If You’re Going
WHAT: The Little Gallery’s 20th Anniversary Party
WHEN: 1 p.m. Sunday
WHERE: 16430 Booker T. Washington Hwy., Moneta
INFO: (540) 721-1596
GALLERY HOURS: Summer hours are from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day
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