Hagen Art Gallery Enjoying More Traffic at New Cedar Falls Location

Main Street Cedar Falls has much to offer the patrons of Cedar Falls: clubs, pizza, suits, coffee, burritos and more. 

Part of the “more” would be , a serene, sophisticated and laid back art gallery. It offers everything from birthday cards to glass art to original paintings and photos from both local and non-local artists. 

“We kept the original name when we purchased the gallery from Henry while we were on College Hill, however, we decided to change the name once we moved to our new location,” said owner Lori Hagen, who with husband John Hagen purchased the Henry W. Myrtle gallery six years ago from longtime friend Hugh Pettersen.

The gallery has been on Main Street for three weeks after moving from a location on College Hill, and it seems to be finding its fit. 

“We actually get more traffic from college students here on Main Street than we did on College Hill,” staff member Doug Castenson said. 

Castenson, a former art teacher, started working at the gallery during his summers off. Since his retirement, he’s been logging a few more hours. The Hagens' daughter, Alissa, also works at the store, helping out at the counter and chatting with guests. 

The rest of the crew have stepped in as John Hagen travels with the musical group The Texas Tenors. After appearing on America’s Got Talent and earning a spot in the finals, the Tenors now perform in front of crowds all over the world.

Aside from works of art, Hagen Art Gallery also does cap and gown orders for graduating college students. While it may seem like an odd pairing, it stems from the gallery’s past on College Hill. Another business on College Hill originally took care of the orders, but once they were forced to close, Myrtle took up the task that has stayed with the gallery ever since. 

On Thursday nights, the gallery also holds their “Perfect Pairings.” Guests can come in and enjoy a glass of wine while they peruse the featured artist from 5 to 7 p.m.

Correction: An earlier version of this story said the gallery had been purchased from Henry W. Myrtle. That was a fictitious moniker used to name the gallery. The former owner's real name is Hugh Pettersen.