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Cooperative Art Galleries: Collaboration and Camaraderie
Give your customers a chance to find your work every week.
For the overly civilized, things get a tad desolate at the midpoint of the hour-long drive between Winchester and Leesburg. Don’t get me wrong. The drive includes some of Virginia’s most gorgeous and history-imbued scenery. Near Berryville, giant sycamores zigzag in a vale, tracing the path of a narrow creek. Route 7 rolls along the piedmont, up and over the Blue Ridge mountains, then crosses the Shenandoah River. On the east side of the river, stands a humungous cherry tree bursting each spring with fluffy pink blossoms. But, halfway through the trip, the few gas stations hide out of sight. A Sheriff’s car usually sits in the median in this stretch, adding a bit of anxiety or comfort, depending on your viewpoint. And then it appears, the old Conestoga wagon up on the hill at what used to be Hill High Orchard. Behind the prairie schooner rambles a long building. Hill High Market, famous for its pies, beckons the traveler to take a break. Have a cup of coffee. Relax. And there, on the west end of the building, the Gateway Gallery and Gift Shop offers the refreshment of creativity. Shiny pewter ware, brilliantly colored fused glass, turned wooden bowls, and handmade ceramics fill its shelves. The walls hold surprises. A precise hand has painstakingly transformed tiny paper pieces into…
