The Best-Kept Secret in Annandale

The Craft Gallery at is Annandale’s hidden gem. Tucked away in , the unassuming gallery is frequently visited by Annandale residents who are discovering its location for the first time. “We’re the best-kept secret in Fairfax County hiding back here in the trees,” said Jerry Butkus, the gallery’s treasurer.

Butkus is one of 25 artisans currently at the gallery. Most of those artisans have shared a similar experience with new customers who enter and are shocked to hear that the gallery has been in its current location for over two decades.

The gallery was born in the 1980s when several craft guilds in the Washington metropolitan area joined forces to form Artisans United. The umbrella organization now has nine different member guilds including the Northern Virginia Handcrafters Guild.

Artisans United serves as a community resource through outreach programs and by running the Craft Gallery, which helps to fund the organization. The gallery features contemporary and traditional high-quality crafts for sale and on display. Each item is one-of-a-kind and created by local artisans who have been juried into the gallery.

Artisans United and the Craft Gallery share the same goal: to promote the arts in Northern Virginia. “Everything in here is handmade by a local artist,” Butkus said. “We’ve got some State Department customers and other people who travel overseas and like to take gifts to their hosts. But they’re really embarrassed when they get there and their gift says ‘Made in China.’ So they come here to buy gifts instead.” 

The gallery is unique in its mission to connect with the local community. , the first vice president of the gallery, is increasing outreach to ensure that the gallery has a presence in Annandale. “We want to let people know what we do and that we’re here,” Lund said.

Sunday, Apr. 10 will mark the first Taste of the Crafts, a free craft demonstration by some of the gallery artists. The demonstrations will be held every Sunday afternoon at the gallery from 1-4pm with the exception of Sunday, April 24.

The kick-off demonstration will include Lund showing goldsmithing techniques, demonstrating pottery slab work, sewing tote bags and Robin Milburn spinning. “Families are welcome to stop on by and chat, just to see what’s going on at the gallery,” Lund said.

Some of the artisans have discussed hosting other events like their annual Christmas party and open house, which is always a huge access. “There were lots of kids here [last year],” Lund said. “We had all of these odds and ends and everyone was just putting glitter on them and the tree looked beautiful. It was really very, very fun.”

Julie Rominger, the president of Artisans United, agreed with Lund. “We had people drop in just to use the bathroom and say, ‘Oh, what are you guys doing?’ They stopped in with their kids and just made ornaments, had some snacks and were on their jolly way.”

The artisans also put together a brand new show at the gallery every two months. All of the displays are removed and new pieces are brought in. “There’s a new theme and different colors are used [depending on] whatever is happening at that time,” Lund said. “We want to remind people that there’s new stuff going on all the time.”

Several times a year, an artist from one of the Artisans United member guilds can use gallery space to have a show and feature their craft. “By doing these demos, we hope to get the public interested in coming in to see us,” Rominger said. The guilds also collaborate on different projects for other organizations, mostly for charity.

The artisans at the Craft Gallery feel strongly about the one-of-a-kind crafts available to their customers. They often work on their craft while sitting at the front desk to showcase how unique their items are. Not only can customers shop for handcrafted items, they can watch a live demonstration and visit with one of the juried artisans. 

The Craft Gallery offers regular customers a $25 membership that entitles them to a 10 percent discount for one year.

For more information on Artisans United and the Craft Gallery, click here.