Celebrating Culture in Old Town

It was thirteen years ago John and Merry Powers began a search for that would be suitable place for John’s printmaking endeavors. When they found the perfect location for an etching studio in Cox’s Market Plaza in Old Town Tustin, they didn’t realize that the 1920’s brick space would eventually spawn four distinct entities under one roof.

John needed about 500 square feet for his studio but the storefront was twice that size. Seeing an opportunity, Merry suggested splitting the space in half and using the front as a gallery, which was a long-held dream for both of them. John was a member of the Los Angeles Printmaking Society and had many contacts for artists who wanted to show their prints. Thus the Old Town Gallery was born. It’s one of the few galleries in all of California devoted exclusively to printmaking.

While construction proceeded, Merry decided to display some of the vintage costume jewelry she had collected.  What began with a few cases and displays quickly evolved into a business with hundreds of pieces of costume jewelry from the turn of the century through the 1960’s. “Zelda’s Jewels,” as Merry called her new business, soon became a headquarters for the increasing numbers of serious jewelry collectors as well as women just looking for unique fashion accessories to wear.

John soon realized that the studio needed some decoration so he began to set up some of his many popular culture collections from the 1930’s, 40’s, and 50’s. As the word about these displays spread and customers asked to look around the back, John added display cabinets and brought more of his collections. He named his little museum “The Dime store Planet.” He now displays hundreds of toys, objects, and ephemera as diverse as cereal prizes from the 1950’s, souvenirs from the 1939 New York Worlds Fair, and space related plastic models from the late fifties.

In 1996 the gallery opened with its first printmaking show. Since then gallery has hosted over sixty exhibitions featuring the work of printmakers from the US and Europe. 

What began as a simple search for a work space has turned into The Old Town Gallery, Zelda’s Jewels, The Dime store Planet, and of course the etching studio. Stop by for an interesting afternoon of art and nostalgia. The Old Town Gallery (www.tustinoldtowngallery.com) is open Wednesdays through Saturdays from 12-5. For information, call 714-734-9088. 

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