Crow’s Nest Gallery celebrates 50 years before closing doors
Taylor Davison
Tillie Marshall and Sharon Sansone, while organizing art for the sale, laugh with Irene over a discovered painting of a pig in a bathtub. Right: Irene speaks with residents who showed their support for the Marchellos as much as their business, visiting to congratulate them and wish Lou a speedy recovery. Many works of art were dropped to 70% off for the gallery’s final sale, leaving attendees excited over valuable finds.
Taylor Davison
Taylor Davison
Taylor Davison
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POLSON — Members of the community showed up in waves on Feb. 14 to show some love to the Crow’s Nest Gallery and Framing as they celebrated their 50th anniversary before closing their doors at the end of the month.
Opened in 1972 by owner Lou Marchello, the Crow’s Nest has gone through a few evolutions over the years. At one point, the gallery itself was in the upper floor of the building, while the Main Street floor played host to a restaurant. While other businesses came and went, the gallery always remained.
Neither Lou nor his wife, Irene Marchello, really expected to see the gallery reach five decades.
“We just started thinking about it when we hit 48 years,” Irene said. “It’s not really something you think about in the day to day. You’re just doing business.”
Lou and Irene were married in 1990 after meeting by chance at an event in Red Lodge. Irene had been brought from California by a friend, and she and Lou got to chatting about their towns. After a debate ensued on whether Flathead Lake was really the largest lake west of the Mississippi, Lou challenged Irene to come see it for herself.
“It really was a hidden gem at the time. I couldn’t believe I’d never heard of it,” Irene said. Not long after that, Irene moved to Polson and the two became a team.
Irene opened Polson’s very first espresso shop and got involved in real estate, while Lou became involved in numerous public boards and committees to contribute to the community.
Lou has been grappling with health issues for the last couple years that have left him unable to attend the Crow’s Nest anniversary event. Irene had considered not celebrating at all without Lou able to join, but the two of them decided it was too big of a milestone to pass unmarked. Irene sent pictures of the anniversary cake and had a book out for visitors to sign in order to share with him later.
“It’s a rough start to retirement, but we’re still hopeful,” Irene said.
The Crow’s Nest continues to offer significant sales until they close shop at the end of the month. Several patrons attended on Monday both to find something to take home and say goodbye to the familiar establishment.
“They really are staples of the community,” one attendee said. “It’s hard to see this place close down.”
“There are a lot of businesses around here that have been taken over by people’s children… None of Lou’s kids live near here, so there was no thinking any of them would take over,” Irene commented on the changes to downtown Polson. “We’re proud of this, and it’s bittersweet… (But) there’s no stopping aging. Eventually, the young folks have to take over.”
