The Douglas Albert Gallery was born in a small corner of Uncle Eli’s Artist Marketplace and Frame Shop, a room owner Douglas Albert wanted to devote to showcasing better art. More than 43 years since the gallery opened in downtown State College and 54 years since he opened Uncle Eli’s, Albert continues to maintain two distinct locations where local artists can purchase hard-to-find supplies, and where fans of art can browse pieces from artists around the world.

Albert, who studied fine arts at Penn State in the late 1960s, developed dealer contacts over the years at shows including New York’s famed Artexpo. He purchases original artwork from artists who aren’t selling similar pieces online and, mindful of a customer base that’s increasingly student-heavy, offers jewelry, accessories, and smaller pieces in addition to oil and acrylic paintings, ceramics, and hand-blown glass items. In 2022, he moved the gallery from its alley location across from The Tavern Restaurant to a larger space on College Avenue.

With Uncle Eli’s, Albert seeks to stock and sell supplies that aren’t often found in retail chains. With the gallery, his aim is giving his customers an enduring experience. “You buy a nice piece of art, and you’ll have it forever,” Albert says. “It’s not about it going up in value necessarily. It’s when you look at it and never get tired of it, and you’re the only one who has it.”