The Little Gallery

 Looking for a unique gift? Need a work of art to fill a bare wall? Searching for a memento of Smith Mountain Lake to take back home? A trip to The Little Gallery at Bridgewater Plaza is the answer.
A fixture at the lake since 1988, The Little Gallery is newly remodeled and features more than 200 internationally, nationally and locally known artists. In addition to fine art, the gallery sells handmade pottery, jewelry, stained glass and blown glass, and prints in a wide range of sizes and prices.
 “It’s a place where the serious art collector can find something wonderful or someone just browsing can come in and find something unique and artist-made,” said Carol Swain, who co-owns the gallery with Rory Parnell and Kay King-Weeks. “We have a relaxed atmosphere and a well-trained staff.”
 Among the most popular artists at The Little Gallery are David Heath, L. Diane Johnson, Robert Sarsony, Ed Hatch, Jane Stogner, Bob Henley, Pat Dougherty, George Shumate, Bedford residents Susan Loy and James Underwood, and Roanoke’s Greg Osterhaus. The gallery features a different artist each month and usually hosts a reception and demonstration where the public is invited to meet the artist and watch him or her work.
 The Little Gallery sponsors the Ed King Scholarship Fund for high school students, the Smith Mountain Lake Charity Home Tour and provides large companies and institutions with art through its corporate program, which is managed by Nancy Eitner.
 While The Little Gallery has had a long-standing spot in the lake community, Swain said the world was introduced to their business when it was featured in the August edition of Southern Living.
 “We got a lot of recognition from that. I can’t tell you the number of people who walked in the door talking about it,” Swain said. “I didn’t realize so many people read that magazine!”
 The Little Gallery is open Sunday-Thursday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Friday and Saturday 10-9. For more information, call 721-1596 or visit the www.littlegallerysml.com.