Leelanau Living Realty Group
Ruth Conklin Is Retiring. What Happens to Glen Arbor's Galleries This Winter?
October 22, 2026
Leelanau Living Realty Group
October 22, 2026
Ruth Conklin's gallery started in 1980 in Glen Arbor's old soda shop, showing her own work and that of two or three artist friends. Next it moved to the front porch of what is now the Totem Shop. In 1991 she built the gallery that still stands at 6632 W. Western Avenue, and over 46 years it has represented hundreds of artists, possibly thousands.
She is now retiring. The more important news for anyone who spends the winter here is who takes over. The Glen Arbor Sun reported on October 16 that Conklin has leased the building to Katie Brandt, co-owner of Synchronicity Gallery across the street, and that the Ruth Conklin Gallery name will stay at least through 2027. Starting this season, the galleries on both sides of that stretch of Western Avenue are run by the same family. The timing matters because Center Gallery on Lake Street closes for winter, and its neighbor Forest Gallery has posted no hours past October. For the next several months, the Western Avenue block plus the Glen Arbor Arts Center is most of what Glen Arbor's art scene has to offer.
Conklin has not set a closing date. She told the Sun it depends on when her stock runs out: paintings, jewelry, woodblocks, wildlife carvings, glassware, clothing and everything else. For now the gallery is open Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
So the current stock is the last inventory she will choose herself. She estimates about 120 artists are on the walls and in the cases right now. Every one of them is American, and about a third are from Michigan. In the Sun's profile she walked through some of them:
"It's always changing," Conklin told the Glen Arbor Sun, about the way pieces sell every day and new ones take their place. She also said she is glad the building will stay a gallery and is happy for Brandt to put her own spin on it. Brandt has not said publicly what that spin will be. The only commitments on record are a gallery in the space and the Conklin name above the door for at least another year.
Synchronicity Gallery at 6671 Western Avenue opened on Memorial Day weekend in 1996. In 2025 it changed hands. The Glen Arbor Sun reported in June 2025 that Jeff and Patty Brandt, who already owned a home on Big Glen, heard from a friend that one of their favorite galleries was quietly for sale. Their daughter Katie, who had worked for a wine and spirits distributor in Seattle and California, joined them in buying it. When the timeline moved up, she relocated to run the gallery day to day.
According to that report, the new owners kept every artist the gallery had shown in earlier seasons and added a few more. That came to about 85 Michigan artists and more than 1,000 works. Gallery manager Cynthia Goodrick stayed on. The Brandts also opened up the floor plan and replaced the sales counter with a live-edge table built by one of their artists. They talked about adding events at the gallery and off-site, from artist meet-and-greets to tastings and music. Their first off-site event was a plein air event with Black Star Farms in Suttons Bay.
That background explains what this lease changes. Synchronicity focuses on Michigan artists. Conklin's gallery has always drawn from across the country, through her art-fair circuit in Michigan, Florida and beyond. One family will now manage both collections from opposite sides of the same street.
Synchronicity's website lists daily hours of 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The site does not list separate off-season hours, so call ahead before a January visit.
This handoff matters more this time of year because of what happens a few blocks away. Lake Street Studios at 6023 S. Lake St. is home to two galleries that keep seasonal schedules.
| Gallery | Location | Focus | Winter status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ruth Conklin Gallery | 6632 W. Western Ave. | ~120 American artists, about a third from Michigan | Tue–Sat, 11–3, until stock runs out |
| Synchronicity Gallery | 6671 Western Ave. | ~85 Michigan artists | Posted daily, 10–5; no separate off-season hours listed |
| Center Gallery | 6023 S. Lake St. | Painters of Leelanau and Sleeping Bear, plus regional ceramics and jewelry | Closes for winter |
| Forest Gallery | 6023 S. Lake St. | North American art and Arts-and-Crafts-style goods | Posted hours end in October |
| Glen Arbor Artisans | 5956 S. Ray St. | Furniture, photography and illustration | Posted Fri–Sat 11–4, Sun noon–3; winter hours not listed |
Center Gallery's own site says it closes for winter and that spring and fall hours vary. According to the Glen Arbor Sun, its fall group show, "Falling Into Art," with Judith Tummino, David Giordan and Naomi Call, ended October 11. Forest Gallery carries pottery, tile, lamps, glass and sculpture, and its posted schedule ends with weekend hours in September and October. Glen Arbor Artisans on M-22 shows Paul May's furniture and photography and Kristin Hurlin's fine art and illustration. Its weekend hours don't say whether they continue through the winter.
The table shows where the art will be once the Lake Street galleries wind down for the season. Most of Glen Arbor's winter gallery browsing will happen in the two buildings on Western Avenue.
Glen Arbor has seen a beloved shop simply end. Wildflowers, which sold antiques, flowers and home décor, closed in late September 2020 after 41 years. Later that year the Glen Arbor Sun reported that The Grove condominiums would go up on the site.
Conklin brought up Wildflowers herself in the October interview. She said handing off her gallery brings up the same bittersweet feeling she had when that shop closed. This time, though, the building is leased to a gallery owner who works across the street, rather than emptied out and redeveloped. "Now I'm meeting their grandkids," she told the Sun, describing collectors who have come back over generations. The lease means those families can still find a gallery at the same address.
The galleries handle the buying. Most of the winter's art events happen at the Glen Arbor Arts Center, and its fall and early-winter schedule is already posted.
The center is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Saturdays from noon to 4 p.m. It closes on Sundays from December through April and is closed entirely December 24 through January 1.
Gallery season ends at Glen Arbor Town Hall. The Glen Lake Chamber of Commerce runs the Glen Arbor Holiday Artisan Market over Thanksgiving weekend.
The Chamber is also looking for a new volunteer to coordinate with the artists and serve as the on-site point person during market week. Contact [email protected] if you're interested.
If you want something from Ruth Conklin's own selection, the window is open now and closes when her stock runs out. Shop Tuesday through Saturday, 11 to 3, at 6632 W. Western Avenue, then cross the street to Synchronicity. For more on the rest of town after Labor Day, our guide to Glen Arbor's turn toward fall covers what stays open, and our Glen Arbor neighborhood page covers everything else.
Whether you need a hostess gift for Thanksgiving, a painting for the cottage, or a rental owner's guide to where guests can find local art in January, Leelanau Living Realty Group knows these shops by name and is happy to point you to the right one. Relax. We got this.
Stay up to date on the latest real estate trends.
Primary phone
(231) 642-1379License Number
#6501401177Address
807 W Front St,I was raised in Cincinnati. My dad was a professor at U.C. and so we were fortunate to have the entire summer to spend on North Lake Leelanau. Summers in Leelanau were such a gift. Starting at the age of twelve we were able to drive the boat into town or to the yacht club. My days were jam-packed. I would teach sailing school at the Leland Yacht Club in the mornings, then take a nap on the dock or the beach, shower, then drive into Leland where I had a job as a hostess. My sisters and I did this every summer and when we had a driver's license we had more options for employment. I stashed away thousands of dollars every summer (literally in a shoe box). Yes, we worked our tails off, but it really did not seem like it since we were enjoying all the beauty of Leelanau at the same time.
I graduated from Miami of Ohio and after graduation I bought the Riverside Inn with my mother and my sister. I later sold my shares when I realized that being a single parent did not pair well with working late nights. After that I was fortunate enough to spend about a decade as a full time parent and I cherish every moment of those years with my (now adult) kiddos, Mackenzie and Sean.
Whether you are an experienced investor or a first-time buyer, Leelanau Living Realty Group can help you find the property of your dreams. Please feel free to browse our website or let us guide you every step of the way by calling or emailing us to set up an appointment today.