50 years in business is an impressive achievement. Hedi Nowak opened The Gallery Upstairs in Milton at her Harrop’s Restaurant in 1976. In 2013 the gallery moved to 3 Mill Street at Bronte, while keeping the well-known name. On June 27, 2026 a celebration garden party was held at the gallery.
Friends, family, customers and artists gathered to enjoy cold beverages, flavourful food, conversations and a bit of shopping before taking home a goodie bag. Several artists were working on pieces during the event, letting guests see how their art is created. Rey de Castro was painting an abstract of a Bruce Trail scene.
Roy Hadad used calligraphy to write guests’ names in Arabic lettering, making gifts of the writing. Elizabeth Anne Herbert used an extremely fine-tipped brush to paint a realistic image of a look on a white feather. Her feather art is framed and available for sale in the gallery. One artist, whose name we didn’t get, painted a scene of the exterior front of the gallery. Give us his name if you know it!
Mayor Krantz gave a tribute to Hedi’s achievements, circulated among the guests and made a point of appreciating the artists’ skills.
Alex Zaitsev, here with Mayor Gord Krantz, worked at putting images on glass or mirrors. Guest of honour
Of course, there was cake to finish off the wines, sandwiches, cheese, dips, yogurt with sweets and more, all fuel for the next 50 years. To explore The Gallery Upstairs online, see www.thegalleryupstairs.com.
