By Ron Campbell

Ron Campbell has been asked in various ways about how he and the folks at the Maggie Gallery have been doing since the business was turned over to the new owners last year. Ron has answered this question in many ways, but he’s noticed that the answers seem to have changed as time has passed. The memories of the things he loved and worked hard for have faded somewhat. Newer events have diminished those memories, pushing them to the back of the mind. They are always there, but they get a little harder to recall with each new day. The new doors that open always seem to be more important than the ones that are closing. There are things to be done and goals to accomplish, drawing focus away from what is being left behind.

Ron believes this kind of transition is true for everyone, to some degree. “But the memories and events that stay with us,” he says, “are undoubtably the best-of-the-best of those things that are most easily recalled.”

In December of 2017, it was while riding past a 178-year-old home on the corner of Locust and Main Street in Floyd that the idea of the Maggie Gallery first presented itself to Ron. Eventually, the pursuit of that dream became an adventure filled with uncertainty, but with the support of his wife, Lenny, he knew they could make it happen. And they did!

The grand idea was to take his custom picture framing business from a studio in Check and combine it with some beautiful art from local Southwest Virginia artists in a downtown environment. On May 5 of 2018, with the help of a lot of people, Ron and Lenny opened the doors to The Maggie Gallery and Custom Framing. The Maggie was, in Ron’s opinion, “the perfect showroom to present the labors of the local artists. The atmosphere was bright and clean, and soft music played as customers viewed and purchased the art.”
(left: Ron Campbell and Lenny Campbell)
The Campbells delighted in selling original art, becoming excited to notify each artist the minute a customer would walk out the door with a new purchase. “We made a lot of buyers happy,” says Ron, “as we told them about the artist and the stories behind a particular piece. We were pleased that we could see the artist being rewarded for their hard work.”

There are many things, however, the Campbells miss about running the gallery. When they would meet new customers and see previous customers returning time and again, it brought a feeling of belonging to the community. Ron admits it may have taken two or three visits, but he tried hard to learn his customers’ names. He wanted them to feel special, and greeting everyone by name was very important to him. It may have been a challenge, but this had always been a goal for both Ron and Lenny.

“We miss the artists,” says Ron. “All of them had something beautiful to contribute to The Maggie. One of our highest priorities was putting them first and presenting their works in the best possible way.”

As The Maggie was turned over to the new owner, the Campbells felt that in some way, they had let these artists down. Most had been with the gallery for nearly five years. However, life events can often be unpredictable and dynamic, and they knew that 2023 would be a year of change.

Among other reasons, gas prices, inflation, and Covid played a part in pushing the Campbells to look for that next door, or that next path. The world had changed, and there was no way of knowing when the economic trend would turn upward.

“We miss the friends and customers who just stopped by to chat. Slow days were made better with these visits,” says Ron, recalling how new visitors would walk into a warm, welcoming environment. Once inside, they were often pleased to get caught up in casual conversations while making new friends. “This was old school social media, Maggie style!”

The Campbells also miss their landlords, who they never really called “landlord”. Instead, they preferred to call the Gardners their friends. The Gardner family were always ready to help the Campbells with anything they needed or wanted to try. Ron was happy to pay the rent to those who supported the Maggie Gallery for five years.

The new owner of The Maggie, Brenda Hopkins, will change the name slightly, but according to Brenda, many of The Maggie’s features will remain. Meanwhile, the original Maggie Gallery and Custom Frame has now become Ron Campbell Art and Custom Framing, relocated to his studio at 104 Campbell Crossing in Check. There, the design room has been expanded, and upstairs now houses a gallery where Ron’s art will be on display. From time to time, furniture in the gallery will be pushed back to make room for work tables, turning the space into a classroom. Ron assures us that he will offer the same quality framing that he delivered in downtown Floyd. In addition, and at no charge, the new studio/gallery also comes with a beautiful, nine-mile ride through the country to get there!

The Campbells hope that customers will take advantage of the wrap-around porch, featuring swings that will surely be in use as the temperatures rise this spring. Customers can even take a hike and pet the horse and donkey. Apples and carrots are optional.

Ron Campbell Art & Custom Framing • 540-521-1986
www.RonCampbellArt.com • Lenny & Ron Campbell
104 Campbell Crossing NE, Check, VA