In 2018, Legacy Gallery owners Brad and Jinger Richardson started giving serious thought to expanding their art business into Santa Fe, New Mexico. One of the first people they called was Bob Nelson, owner of Manitou Galleries. “Bob was kind of enough to take my calls,” Brad Richardson says. “At the time I just wanted a perfect location, not a whole business.”
As the search continued for a perfect gallery space continued, and the years crept by, the Richardsons spoke again with Nelson, who offered to sell them both his galleries in Santa Fe. “After looking at his numbers and many conversations, it was obvious he had a very solid business, not to mention two of the best locations in Santa Fe—one near the Santa Fe Plaza and the other on Canyon Road,” Richardson says. “At that point we were ready to move forward and work out the details.”
Legacy Gallery owners Brad and Jinger Richardson, left, with Bob and Charla Nelson, and Cyndi and Tsali Hall.
The final sale and transfer of Manitou to the Richardsons didn’t take place until September 1, but Bob and Charla Nelson announced the sale in July to their friends and collectors. “While I have been in no rush to take this step, due to my absolute love for this business and all of you, I will be 80 years young this fall and at this point in my life, look forward to spending more time focusing on our two museums and Manitou Gallery Historic in Cheyenne [Wyoming] and most importantly, our family,” Bob Nelson wrote. “When we were approached by Brad and Jinger, we were certain they were one of the very few we believed would be fully capable of carrying the torch of Manitou Galleries forward with the same integrity and success that we’ve worked so hard to establish and maintain since we opened on Galisteo Street in 2000.”
Fans of Manitou Galleries will not notice many drastic changes: Many of Manitou’s artists will remain a part of the gallery; the jewelry shop within the gallery, Palace Jewelers, will remain an important part of the Palace location; and even Cindy and Tsali Hall, directors of the gallery and Palace Jewelers, will remain a part of the team. One immediate change is that the Canyon Road location will be renamed Legacy Gallery, while the Palace location near the Plaza will remain Manitou Gallery.
The Richardsons have also made early plans to start bringing in a number of Legacy artists who are not shown in Santa Fe—painters such as Glenn Dean, Howard Post, Josh Elliott and others.
There are also tentative plans to have a large grand opening in early summer 2022. —
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