This secret art gallery in the back of a plumbing business in Oregon City opens twice a month – right here in Oregon.

Across the railroad tracks, down a one-lane road, behind a plumbing shop in Oregon City, is Becky Dawson’s semi-secret art gallery and gift shop.

Aptly named One Lane Road, the shop offers greeting cards, tea towels, tote bags and more featuring Dawson’s colorful and whimsical designs, along with her original paintings and ceramic sculptures.

And it is only open twice a month.

The One Lane Road gallery was born out of an epiphany that Dawson had in December 2020. At the time, all local craft fairs were canceled and many of the stores where she sold her art were closed.

She decided to build a small roadside stand outside her home in Clackamas County, filled it with cards, tea towels and stickers, and decided to leave the payment for an honor system.

“People do it with flowers and vegetables,” she thought. “Why can’t I do it with my art?”

She called it a self-serve gift shop, and it was a hit.

“It was a really fun experience in the dark, and I thought maybe one day I could do it on a bigger scale,” she says.

Two years later, Dawson was looking for more storage space for her wholesale business and hoped to create some makeshift self-serve gift shop magic. A longtime friend of Dawson’s, who owns Eagle Plumbing in Oregon City, sometimes rents an additional garage to small (usually industrial) businesses.

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She spent time remodeling the space, adding shelves, string lights and painting a large, friendly, blue Bigfoot outside the garage to greet visitors.

The gallery had its first open weekend in June.

News of the small art gallery behind the plumbing shop spread through social media, word of mouth and a hand-painted sandwich board that Dawson was placed on the side of the road when she opened.

“It seems like this is fun for people to stumble upon,” she said.

Inside, Dawson sells both her original artwork as well as collaborations with other artists and companies. This includes a jewelry line, cross stitch kits based on her designs, scented candles and t-shirts.

Dawson started her One Lane Road artwork 11 years ago. She still has a home studio – also down the lane – where she creates designs of plants, animals and mythical creatures. Much of her work is for wholesale, and if you miss her gallery open hours, you’ll find her work for sale at Made in Oregon, New Season, Powell Books, and many independent bookstores and gift shops.

If you go:

One Lane Road Gallery and Gift Shop, 13801 Forsythe Road in Oregon City is open two weekends a month from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Upcoming open dates are Sept. 10-11, Sept. 24-25, Oct. 8-9, Oct. 22-23, Nov. 5-6 and Nov. 19-20 Extended holiday hours are planned for December, or shop online anytime at onelaneroad.com.

– Samantha Swindler; sswindler@oregonia.com; @editorswindler