NORFOLK, Neb. -- The Ravenwood Art Gallery has been a prominent art shop in the City of Norfolk, Nebraska since its opening in 1984 by artist Gale Jones.  

Despite its current success, Ravenwood's opening was made difficult for Jones by the small business administration during that time as they had to survey if that type of store would work in the area before it got its green light. 

Current owner, Scott Adams, said that the work of Gale Jones spoke for themselves as it was a special piece that paid for the store. 

"One of the things he was known for was he would actually take pictures and he would paint two separate pictures and almost identical with two different colors and he'd actually cut them apart and then weave them back together," Adams said. 

After being in business for 35 years, Ravenwood transitioned ownership to Adams in 2019. 

He said that a lot changed in that time, making it difficult when he took over the business, now having to find a new interest in the general public. 

"We had to figure out what people wanted and if what what we were doing needed to change and it has changed a lot," Adams said. "We went into stones and crystals and it's nice that people can come in and look at actually look at piece of rose quartz and know how big it is what size, what quality and that sort of thing." 

Ravenwood showcases many different crystals from around the globe from Uruguay to you name it, although it hones in on highlighting gems from its Nebraska roots. 

"We have the Nebraska Blue Agate which is actually the Nebraska state gem stone, and actually somebody from Norfolk goes out and and buy totes to a part and picks them up brings them back, cuts them, polishes them; so it's something that's very unique, it's very Nebraska," Adams said. "We have about 20 local artists that do different things all the way from photographs and paintings to bees wax and oil paintings." 

Adams said that Ravenwood will continue to attract customers based on its various gems and unique customizations.   

Ravenwood's merchandise has transitioned from mostly framing and prints to crystals and stones, being a place where people can get an in-person experience. 

"So that is kind of the goal and kind of the way to keep going is having something unique and having something that people are really looking for," Adams said.