At 63, Don Muller is turning his energies to pastimes like travel, fishing and working around the house.
NORTHAMPTON – On his 61st day of retirement, Don Muller had no regrets about selling his landmark business, Don Muller Gallery.
“I’m feeling really, really good about it,” he said Thursday from his Hadley home.
After 38 years in downtown Northampton, the last 34 at 40 Main St., Muller sold the store on Sept. 1 to Maya MacLachlan, who had worked for him for a dozen years. Neither would disclose the selling price.
MacLachlan, 37, studied art history at the University of Massachusetts before her 12-year tenure at the gallery and has been able to hit the ground running. She knows the artists, the customers and what makes the gallery so special.
“I’ll keep it the same,” she said. “I’ve been getting great support from the customers.”
Those customers have been coming from all across the country and all over the world, said Muller, who was among the pioneers who made Northampton a shopping destination filled with boutique, owner-operated businesses. As Muller recalls, the scene was decidedly more bleak when he opened shop in 1978.
“It was just Fitzwilly’s and me,” he said. “There were no other restaurants or galleries.”
Tapping local artists and craftspeople like Josh Simpson, whose studio is in Shelburne, Muller created a store that was unique and won every top award in the jewelry and crafts industries.
At 63, he is turning his energies to pastimes like travel, fishing and working around the house. Part of him is still in the gallery, however, and Muller appreciates the support that made him a success.
“I’d like to thank the community for its tremendous support and hope that they continue to patronize the Don Muller Gallery,” he said.