Who wants to buy a Wellesley art gallery? J. Todd Galleries on the market

Bob and Phyllis Totaro, owners of J. Todd Galleries in Wellesley Square (3,000 sq. ft.) and Chatham, are looking to sell off their 30+ year-old business to someone who can keep it thriving and enable them to transition into a “gradual, eventual retirement.”

The Totaros say in a press release that they came into the art world from management positions in the high tech world (Bob from Polaroid), and have learned much of the business while on the job. They stress that their business, which has handled over 45,000 works over the years, includes everything from selling paintings to restoring them and providing custom framing and corporate art consulting.

“Some folks have asked us if we’re planning to go out of business, or if we’re getting ready to move to Cape Cod near our new Chatham gallery, but we will not be doing either. We have always been profitable, we have no reason to let the business stop operating, and we love our home near the Wellesley gallery. We have thousands of loyal clients that are relying on our staying around in some capacity. Our goal is to find just the right buyer(s), who are serious about owning and running the business and who can rely on our sticking around for a year or so after the acquisition, and maybe longer in some capacity,” said Bob Totaro.

He tells us that the business (which gets its name from the middle of Totaro’s grandfather’s name — Michael J. Todaro) once was the smallest operation in its building but now occupies space once taken up by 5 businesses. What’s hot among customers now is what Totaro refers to as “transitional” art, which falls someplace in between traditional and contemporary.

Naturally, J. Todd includes a sampling of paintings of Wellesley scenes, including the Sprague clock tower, town hall and a little window shopping. Bob Totaro says that paintings of Wellesley are most popular with people moving out of town, wanting a remembrance.

[We’ve always had a family game of “name your favorite painting” whenever we drive by the gallery in Wellesley, and always feel happy when a misfit one finally disappears from the window display.]

If you have a serious inquiry, email away: [email protected] or call Bob at 617-435-3434.