BURLINGTON COUNTY

BURLINGTON The first art gallery in Burlington City's newly created arts district opened last month in a former shoe factory built in the 1860s.

28 East Gallery, on East Union Street, is open only on weekends during the summer, but will have expanded hours in the fall, said Melanie Pease, who owns the gallery with her husband, Dennis.

The gallery exhibits an array of oil, watercolor, and acrylic paintings; sculptures; stained-glass pieces; wearable art; and other media in an 1,800-square-foot building that had been a vacant residence for a decade. It is across from a historic fire hall that is being renovated so it can be opened as a restaurant, the Brick Wall.

The artists and craftspeople who display their work on consignment at 28 East Gallery are from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware, Pease said. She and her husband purchased the building last November, then gutted and renovated it.

"The building is a work of art," Pease said, adding that she is not an artist. "I was a project manager at Lockheed Martin, and was given a career change during a large layoff or a resizing, and decided I didn't want to go into another corporate career." Having grown up in the city and hearing about the planned revitalization, she said, she decided to invest in the building and create a gallery.

Last year, the city created an arts district on East Union Street to encourage artists and craftspeople to locate in a designated area to attract business.

Currently, the gallery is open Fridays from noon to 8 p.m., and Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 6 p.m. - Jan Hefler