Decades-Old Pelton Plaza Art Gallery is Up For Sale

Pelton Plaza's own art dynasty could soon come to an end.

Eighteen years after taking over the  from her late husband in 1993, Ginger Grow is planning to pack up her paint brushes and take her creativity elsewhere — Russia or Africa, perhaps.

By selling the small gallery, located in Pelton Plaza, Grow hopes to travel and spend more time painting.

“I haven’t been able to paint lately because I’m overwhelmed with framing,” said Grow.

“I love the shop, but 18 years is enough. Time to move on and let it go,” she said.

The art gallery was opened in 1975 in Pelton Plaza by Grow’s husband. After he passed away in 1993, Grow retired from the Hayward Unified School District and took over the gallery.

About a year later, Sal Bartoni, an art student of Michael Grow, came in to give her a hand. Bartoni quickly gained a reputation for his friendliness with surrounding shop owners, eventually being dubbed the unofficial “Mayor of Pelton Plaza.”

The walls of the shop are now lined with paintings by the Grows and Bartoni. But if Grow can sell the space as an art or framing shop, she hopes the new owner will let her keep some of those paintings up for display.

Whatever ultimately happens with the shop, Grow will be content to get back to her canvases. 

“Painting is just something I do,” said Grow. “It’s sort of a self hypnotic experience. It’s like playing chess. You start painting and hours go by.”