Graber Millers join downtown Goshen’s “cultural Renaissance”

Warm weather isn’t the only thing to be excited about in Goshen as the summer months roll around this year. In six months Graber Designs Gallery, owned by Ann Graber Miller and her husband, Keith Graber Miller, a Goshen College Bible and religion professor, will reopen as Found.

The Graber Millers opened Graber Designs Gallery in 2000 to sell artwork by Ann and other Graber family artists alongside international pieces that they had acquired visiting friends and family across the globe, as well as during their time as Study-Service Term leaders and while on other miscellaneous travels.

But the new name, meant to make the store more attractive to out-of-towners or those who do not consider themselves usual gallery-goers, is not the only thing that will change. This upcoming addition to the eclectic mix of small businesses in downtown Goshen may be in the same location as the Graber Millers’ first gallery, but it will have a completely new feel.

“We’ve never been happy with the condition of the gallery itself—the scarred walls, ugly carpet and linoleum on the floor, drop ceiling, unattractive fluorescent lights—so we are quite excited about reworking the gallery space down to the hardwood floor, up to the tin ceiling, and out to the brick walls,” said Keith Graber Miller. “We will be restoring it to some of its original beauty,” he said, in addition to reopening the windows and doors in the back of the store, allowing entry from either side.

The owners said that with the transition to Found they plan to incorporate vintage pieces into their collection while also expanding their current stock of international art, jewelry and other fine craft pieces after upcoming travels—including to the Dominican Republic and Bulgaria—while maintaining their commitment to ethical trade.

As the Graber Millers look to the future with excitement and anticipation, they cannot help but acknowledge the past that brought the gallery this far. “We have been grateful for the support of the Goshen community, including GC students and their families. For us, this is a major financial and emotional investment in the community, and we are committed to being around for at least another 20 years. We’re happy to be a part of the downtown Goshen cultural Renaissance.”