the FolkArt Gallery

I've only been here twice--both times before Christmas when searching for gifts for family. And both times they saved my butt--and my wallet--with great art, cards, and jewelry gifts at very reasonable prices. Whoever does the ordering here has an exceptional flare for buying tasteful product at truly competitive prices.

This store is amazing. If you like authentic ethnic home decor or jewelry, go there and check it out. If you like color, go see what they have, it'll spice up your home or body.

Great people and beautiful art!

I've always been a student of the exotic, extraordinary, marvelous, mysterious, novel, oddball, peculiar, puzzling, quaint, queer, rare, remarkable, singular, strange, unconventional, unexpected, unique, unorthodox, unusual, weird and wonderful things in life! Whew! That was a long sentence. That part of my being coupled with my equally earnest desires to know and understand the spiritual side of humankind, pulled me into the Folk Art Gallery like a shepherd's crook around the neck of an errant lamb. Artifacts, objects, jewelry, pottery, statuary, clothing, batiks, tapestries, religious pieces and more from around the world are displayed in museumesque clusters. Yet ... this place is unlike any other museum. You see here at the Folk Art Gallery, customers are encouraged to touch, feel, smell, savour, listen, observe and examine. Nowhere inside this gallery did I see any trite little "lovely to look at, delightful to hold, but if you break it, consider it sold" postings. This is an Ethnic Exploratorium. Native American and Peruvian pottery fascinate me. Near the back of the store, on a several tiered glass display shelving unit are thirty or more examples of this kind of pottery. The intricacies of design in each piece seemingly suggests that some computerized program etched these patterns on their surface, but NO. These are genuine hand-crafted pieces and that's what transfers the soul of the artist into her or his piece. I took my time browsing among the rest of the store with its' various offerings and felt as if I'd taken a trip around the world, all in the comfort of this quaint and warm shop. I chatted with the sales clerk, only to learn that she is non other than Sharon Christovich, the owner of the store -- the volunteer docent or unpaid curator. Her passion for the store is like that of a mother for her child. Sharon recently wrote this in her on-line blog. "I've become a curator of beautiful things and great stories that bring a sense of joy to my eye and my heart. There are messages in these marvelous objects that spin tales about the ritual lives, cultural identity, spirituality, social status and hopes and dreams of their creators." I couldn't have said it better! Check out the Folk Art Gallery's on-line blog at: http://www.thefolkartgallery.com/blog

DESTINATION !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! When I'm in San Rafael I pop in, always. Even if all I get are a few greeting cards (they always have good ones) I'm happy. I love looking at the vibrant bright colors and shapes. I love the pottery. I love the bead work, and the jewelry . . . .omg . . . .the jewelry ! As I type a beautiful one of kind pair are hanging from my little ears. DESTINATION !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Knew I was going to find gifts there so I went down today and found gifts for 4 friends pretty quickly. Amazing store. Sharon the store own is wonderful. The store is just amazing. Love it. Highly recommend. It's like a museum.

Hello and good-bye When I walked into this store I smiled and said, "Hello!' The clerk just glowered at me and gave me the stink eye. I walked through the store quickly and saw some nice stuff that I would have considered buying but no thanks. Maybe I didn't look Marin-like enough. I asked my hubby what he thought, "Yeah she was a bitch'"

What a nice gallery! They have a collection of interesting and unique pieces from all over the world, and for all budgets. I am fond of the earrings, and bought several pairs. They are well made and very pretty - some with stones, and another is a set of cute tiny metal turtles. The owner is friendly and happy to tell more about the pieces. I always like to stop by whenever I'm in town. :)

After managing to flush one half of my favorite sterling earrings down the toilet... I purchased some nice sterling silver earrings with large topaz stones. The have great silver jewelry and lots of other knick knacks. I will be going back for my next pair of sterling earrings. Hopefully the same fate won't befall my new pair.

This little store was charming, and contrary to what the other petty people wrote, the shopkeeper was very friendly. This is a small business and the prices she is asking are fair. There are some nice earrings and Oxoacan art. Obviously, some people have no understanding of overhead and how businesses function.

I am a Marin County resident and find myself in San Rafael every other month or so. I enjoy the galleries in this two block section of 4th Street. I always stop in the the Folk Art Gallery. The soap stone pieces from Africa are a regular purchase for my wife. The Owner, Sharon, and the other lady who works there are always informative and very gracious. I am very happy to visit and support this unique art gallery. GB

I always can't wait until it's someone's birthday/holiday because I get to go shopping at the Folk Art Gallery where I know I will find the perfect gift!! I always find a wide, varied array and selection, and something within my budget. They also do a very lovely gift wrap if you ask. I also like that the Owner Sharon has always been happy to take the time to chat and discuss art, what's coming up, and take special requests if the shop's not too busy.

Great jewelry, high quality, very original. The owner travels and buys for the store and the pieces from Mexico and Indonesia are original and well priced based on my own bargaining in other countries, and web searches to find comparable pieces. I started at Mexican filagree earrings which were too heavy for my ears and ended up with gorgeous hand carved shell and sterling earrings from Indonesia. I could have spent much more, because everything I tried on was well crafted and gorgeous.

I have shopped at the Folk Art Gallery on many occasions and find the store and the people that work there to be knowledgeable and very helpful. They typically offer an insight into the product one wouldn't normally expect. I have found treasures here that remind me of a trips I've taken throughout the world. I would recommend this store for gifts with great cards to accompany. HIGH MARKS

I was in San Rafael visiting a friend and stopped into the Folkart Gallery to find something different for my wife for Valentines Day. There were a lot of cool things to choose from. The saleswoman helped me pick out a pair of earrings and I also found a day of the dead skeleton couple. She asked me if I wanted the things gift wrapped (I hate wrapping gifts) and of course I said yes. My wife loved both of the gifts. I'll go back to the Folk Art Gallery again.

This is a great place for an unsual gift item. Wonderful merchandise, beautiful displays, and very helpful staff. I have never been disappointed here.