American Garage

During the 70's and 80's both of us worked in high pressure environments: Michael in aerospace and Diana in the music industry. By 1990, we had each reached a crossroad in our lives and decided to hold hands with the maxim of 'now or never' and together, we jumped into the unknown. We left behind our careers with not much more than a hope that we could turn our private passion of collecting Americana and folk art into a livelihood. We look behind the road that we have traveled together and we wonder where 20 years have gone' They seem to have flown by in the blink of an eye, with much of the passing of that time owing to the fact that this has been more of a labor of love than work. When we began all those years ago, we didn't know much about transforming a love of collecting into a viable business, but we knew that if we put educating a client ahead of just selling them some item and if we gave them the opportunity to buy the best and finest quality that they could afford, whatever their budget, they would return again and again. Indeed they have done just that. Much has changed in this business over the years but one thing has remained constant throughout our experience: we have built our lives, our reputation and the very fabric of our business, day in and day out, on the premise that honesty, forthrightness and intelligence trumps all. Our motto has always been to buy what we love in the absolute best condition possible with no apologies, knowing that if we were moved by a piece, we rightly felt that someone else would see the merits of it and soon it would find a new home. That credo has served us well. Our clients continue to amaze and reward us with their confidence and trust to help them build world class collections. More so, they inspire us, as they are willing to wait and pay for the exceptional and the unusual. We started twenty years ago in the little house where no one lived, with rooms filled with folk art, Americana and rustic for sale and where all our clients visited us by appointment only. In 2002, we moved to our gallery on Third Street here in Los Angeles, the likes of which no one here or anywhere in the country had seen before. This year of 2010 brings us full circle, returning to our roots of operating our new gallery by appointment only. With that and our first rate website, we are changing the model of how we reach our clients in these ever changing times. Our website is but a small representation of our ever changing inventory. If you do not find what you are looking for here, give us a call or send us an email and let us know what is on your wish list. In addition to our appointment only gallery and website, we provide auction representation services, estate planning and disbursement as well as brokering, with all transactions kept strictly confidential. We are proud members in good standing with the American Folk Art Society (AFAS), New Hampshire Antiques Dealers Association (NHADA) as well and the Antiques Dealers Association of California (ADAC). Michael is on the Board of Directors of ADAC as Vice President Southern California. As such, he is involved in planning the Los Angeles Antiques Show, where we have been long time exhibitors, and where Michael's expertise is also recognized as a member of Americana and Folk Art Vetting Committee. We have been featured in Architectural Digest, Country Home, Country Living, In Style and Rolling Stone and have also appeared numerous times on HGTV in segments featuring Americana and folk art. We look forward to working with and building a great relationship with you. Diana Douglas Michael J. Ogle About that name...When we opened the business in 1990, we were sitting together trying to come up with a great name for our endeavor. We tossed around our names, separately and together and all kinds of things and ideas, but nothing sounded right. Somehow we started talking about where all the treasures were hidden that we'd have to search out and find to bring to our clients. One of us said something to the effect that 'all the good things are in every American attic or every American garage' and just like that, it clicked and our name was born. A personal and belated 'after the fact' thank you to the maestro, Pat Metheny, as it was truly meant to be.