Crestwoods Gallery

By Holli Hattery | Photos provided

A big perk of living in or around the Fort Wayne area is the combination of the big city and the small-town feel. Fort Wayne is expanding and growing, and it can feel overwhelming at times. Sometimes, you need a break from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, or a break from the daily grind. Luckily, we are less than an hour away from that small town charm that we all crave at times.

One of those towns is Roanoke, Indiana. Located Southwest of Fort Wayne, Roanoke is just a twenty-five minute drive from downtownl. Located on Main Street for the past forty-seven years is the Crestwoods Gallery, a staple of the area since its opening in 1962. Originally established as a custom framing business, Crestwoods has evolved and grown in its sixty years.

Crestwoods Gallery’s third and current owner, Ann Shive, has owned the gallery for over eleven years. She has been an avid art collector and curator for over twenty-five years. Prior to buying Crestwoods, she worked with the previous owner, Wally Orr, designing framing and working with clients.

Crestwoods Gallery takes their framing seriously, setting themselves apart by using museum-quality archival materials and techniques to help your pieces remain looking the same as the years past. Their materials won’t cause yellowing or discoloration. They even offer UV and museum glass to help reduce fading if your piece is in a room that gets full sun. They offer custom framing, sell vintage frames, and their staff, with over twenty years of professional design and construction experience, are more than willing to cut frames to fit your needs.

Shive, who has a degree in Fine Art with a minor in Art History from IU Bloomington, had a vision to expand Crestwoods beyond just the framing business. She decided to seek a bigger space and to not only frame artwork, but to feature it, as well. In 2011, Crestwoods Gallery moved down the street, still staying on Main, to the old Coil Factory in Roanoke. The renovated space was perfect, and Shive’s vision came to fruition. Crestwoods Gallery currently features over thirty local and regional artists.

“I enjoy working with our talented artists, hosting regular art openings, and educating my clients on both art and framing design,” Shive shares.

While Roanoke may be just some small town to the world, to the area, it’s a place housing beautiful art from some of the most talented artists in our area. It’s not just a framing business, thanks to Shive’s dream, it’s now also a place to celebrate art and those who create it and all are welcome. a

Crestwoods Gallery, Roanoke, 260.672.2080, crestwoodsgallery.com

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By Amber Bouthot