OXFORD – Owners of Gallery Three-Two-One, an art gallery and shop home to 75 different artists work, are getting ready to hand it down to the next generation of artists.

Co-Owners Bill and Diane Troxell are preparing to pass down the pottery and art studio business to their daughter and her husband, Sarah and Ron Smith.

Bill Troxell started the business when he first opened Strong Stone Pottery, which he ran out of the sub-level of a barn.

“All that was left of this divided land was a dilapidated barn and six acres of land. So I decided I would buy it, not really knowing what I was getting myself into,” said Troxell.

After spending years traveling to trade shows up and down the east coast, The Troxell's decided to open a small store front to sell their pottery out of. This eventually expanded to the barn upstairs which is now Gallery 321.

“The gallery used to be where we'd ride our bikes and play hide and seek. We'd have Halloween parties and birthdays parties up there, it used to just be an open barn,” said Sarah.

Sarah explains that her parents opened the gallery to have a second form of income in case the trade show market stopped.

“Like with the pandemic right now there are no shows. We're really lucky we have the gallery, a lot of our friends who are arts and crafts people they don't have a form of income unless their selling online. Which is hard with art just to see it online people want to be able to touch it,” said Sarah.

Over 75 artists works are shown in the Gallery from all over the United States. Everything is handmade.

“We go to the buyers market in Philadelphia in February and that's where we pick a lot of the items we want. But we also have a lot of friends that are from the show circuit who still make their product so we still carry quiet a few of their stuff,” said Sarah.

“I'm wondering how we are going to do it this year because I don't know if they are going to have the buyers market. So I think it's going to be harder to find artists that really make their products. We buy our products at whole sale, then we sell it at the retail price. So you have to find somebody who sells their art at whole sale or we can't buy it because we'd have to sell it for a lot more,” she continued.

“Hopefully they are going to do virtual shows,” said Ron. “I think some of the products might change, we're hoping that us being the younger generation we're going to have a different taste so we might bring in some different products to appeal to a younger crowd.”

Sarah clarifies that they will be looking for new artists as the ones who currently contribute retire, but that they will be keeping all the same artists her parents currently work with.

The family still plans to work together. Many of the items in the shop are made by not just one person, but usually three.

“Sara will make a lot of the plates and bowls and things and then Bill will decorate them, then they are given to me to do the lettering,” said Diane.

When asked why she was taking over the business, Sarah said when she thought about her parents retiring she wondered what they would do with the businesses. If they would sell it, or possibly close. Neither were an option to her.

“This has been my life, I've been pugging clay since I could pull the handle down. Unlike other people who's parents retire and you're not in it. I'm in it.” said Sarah. “It's exciting but its very bittersweet. I know they're ready but no ones really ready, you know?”

“It's a little bit difficult because its the end of an era. I'm happy that she and Ron are certainly the ones who are going to take it over and I think they are well equipped to continue and maybe to make it better,” said Bill.