Nineteenth century furniture and 1990s nostalgia line a gravel driveway on state Route 88. A fiberglass tiger peeks out from one of the many sheds grouped together around the crescent-shaped drive, marking the entrance to one of Garrettsville’s best hidden treasures.
Walking into J Leonard Gallery, guests find themselves surrounded by ornate works of art ranging from detailed pet portraits, intricate hand-blown glass pieces and hand-forged metal works, to towering carved carousel animals. These animals include a draft horse and a giraffe, nearly as tall as the ceiling, inspired by the show Avatar. The latter pieces being the work of the gallery’s owner, Joe Leonard.
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Tell me a bit about the Disneyland carousel.
That was probably the largest project I’ve ever had, and [I] could not have done it without help. Because it was a crash project, a very rewarding one. I mean the carousel’s ridden by more dignitaries and international folks around the world than any other machine and probably the largest carousel horses in the world. I think they were seven foot long, six and a half feet tall. And they weighed 250 pounds apiece. [I had] the opportunity to go over there in ’92, just before the park opened, [take] a video and take pictures.
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