Duo makes transition from Cornerhouse Gallery employees to owners

When CornerHouse Gallery and Frame went on the market last year, long-time employees Gloria Clinton and Sue Mochal decided to purchase the Cedar Rapids business from their boss.

But they had to do it without the gallery's namesake, the 1912 house on the corner of First Avenue and 28th Street Drive that had been its home since 1976.

The previous owner sold the building and it was demolished to make way for an office building.

Finding the right new location was the biggest step in Clinton and Mochal's transition from employees to business owners.

AT A GLANCE

"We wanted to find something that would be convenient for clients and a good match for this type of gallery," Clinton said.

They opened the new location, just a few blocks down the street, on July 1.

Between them, Clinton and Mochal have more than 30 years' experience at CornerHouse.

Clinton worked under both sets of earlier owners. Her responsibilities included supervising the gallery's daily business operations and designing framing projects for clients.

When the gallery's original owners elected to sell the business five years ago, she joked that she was part of the deal.

Mochal had been at the gallery for five years. "I oversee the framing end of things."

"Our combination of talents and expertise made it a reality," Clinton said. "We knew what we needed to do."

CornerHouse gallery specializes in two- and three-dimensional work by contemporary artists with Midwestern ties. It also carries originals by classic artists such as Grant Wood and Marvin Cone.

"We'll frame anything as long as we don't have to feed it," Clinton said.

Their framing projects have included such non-traditional pieces as golf clubs, sports jerseys and, most recently, a Navy bomber jacket and helmet.