In 1979, at our current location, two local women first opened a gallery called Guffey-Erskine Gallery.  It was primarily a custom framing shop and art gallery.  Later, with partial ownership change, it became Guffey-Napoli Gallery, functioning in the same way.  On January 1, 1993, Judy Padgett purchased the business, changing its name to simply "The Gallery".  The shop is located on Main Street in Rutherfordton, a National Historic District.  The quaint building is one of the oldest in town.  Over the past 14 years, in addition to the traditional framing services offered, Judy has built an inventory of fine hand-crafted items.

The Gallery is listed in the Handmade in America guide book and focuses primarily on American made pieces, including local, regional and national work.  All custom framing is completed in house, in the frame shop in the back of the store.

Judy has been married for 25 years to local native Steve Padgett and they have two daughters, Iris and Holly.  They reside in the picturesque Golden Valley area of Rutherford County.