COLORADO SPRINGS — Family owned and operated in Colorado Springs for more than four decades, Platte Furniture has broadened its horizons to include an underground art gallery that regularly features a rotation of works from local artists.
What started with Dick Kelly (the store's founder) selling used furniture out of his garage soon lead to the creation of Platte Furniture in 1978; in the years since then, the showroom floor has expanded and now is measured at 36,000 sqft.
Since its founding, the company has seen several members of Kelly's family get involved in the furniture/interior decor operation which co-owner Kyle Kelly (son to Dick Kelly) describes as feeling a bit like a "treasure hunt."
"We go out and find unique pieces, bring it in, fix it up, price it, and sell it to the public."
Continuing to largely wheel and deal in used furniture, the local retail space has, within the past five years, expanded into the world of art.
Below the showroom floor you'll find a free-to-view gallery that features a wide array of art (as well as more furniture); since 2023, the majority of the gallery space has been dedicated to highlighting art and artists local to Colorado Springs.
"We are showing the average person how they can get in touch with their community and be surrounded by something as amazing as local Colorado Springs art," commented Eli King, gallery coordinator for Platte Furniture, "[that is] something that everybody deserves to have."
Art displayed in the gallery has a major rotation every two months, with the space typically featuring work from somewhere between six to ten local artists at any given time.
The store regularly hosts gallery happenings, including First Friday (of each month) cocktail/mocktail events where visitors can come enjoy a free beverage and snack while they peruse the work of that month's featured local artist.
At the time of this article, the gallery is featuring the work of Colorado Springs artist Arionna Goffinet.
The furniture store is also always on the hunt for more local artists to showcase in their gallery space, for more information, click here.
_____
_____
Watch KOAA News5 on your time, anytime with our free streaming app available for your Roku, FireTV, AppleTV and Android TV. Just search KOAA News5, download and start watching.
