As owners of The Gallery at Round Top and its sister store, Comforts, Ken Muenzenmayer and Karen Vernon find joy in bringing artistic culture to Round Top. After running a gallery in Miami for several years, they couple moved to Houston and an old friend convinced them to open The Gallery at Round Top on April Fool’s Day in 2006.

Originally opening with works from seven artists, they now showcase and sell art from around 150 different artists – with representation from local artists in Texas as well as artists as far away as Portland and Ireland.

Ultimately, their goal is to educate their visitors about the art world, welcome people from all artistic backgrounds and experience levels to their gallery and help them discover the story that connects us all. “For a community to thrive, it has to have culture,” says Karen. “Art is essential to survival, and in Round Top I get a sense of cultural identity.”

Ken and Karen want The Gallery at Round Top to be an accessible environment to those just starting out with collecting art, all the way up to advanced art collectors. They don’t want their gallery to be snobby or intimidating – everyone is welcome to come and learn about art, no matter how much they do or do not know about the art world.

They enjoy Round Top for its natural beauty and the town’s commitment to preserving the integrity of its history. Karen says that living in Round Top gives you a unique sense of the history that Texas is built on. As far as the scenery, she says it’s an extremely inspiring place and that everywhere you look, there are thousands of images that can be painted.

The Gallery at Round Top cares about their customers and are always willing to go the extra mile for them, all while celebrating the uniqueness of our big time small town.

To learn more about The Gallery at Round Top, visit their website. For more information on art and culture in Round Top, visit exploreroundtop.com.