Our Story
The FOUNDRY is a community for creatives that fosters, encourages and celebrates the diverse talents within the Cumberland Valley, giving artists an opportunity to network, create, exhibit and sell their work. We provide artists with resources and an outlet to grow their talent and build their business acumen while also bridging the gap to educate the community and create excitement and awareness about our local well of talent.
The FOUNDRY’s corner store in downtown Chambersburg houses a retail shop where guests can purchase unique, one-of-a-kind pieces that are made locally, view rotating exhibits featuring the work of artists both local & national.
History of our building
& organization
Like the town it’s based in, The Foundry is housed in a building rich with history! 100 South Main Street was originally built as a place of residence and remained so until the end of the Civil War. On July 30,1864, Brigadier General John McCausland and 2,800 Confederate cavalrymen marched into the square and burned the town when residents failed to fulfill a ransom demand. Flames destroyed more than 500 structures leaving more than 2,000 homeless-including the residents at the corner of Main and Queen Streets.
In the reconstruction of the town, Sherk’s Hardware made the corner space its home and opened for business around 1874. A staple of downtown, Sherk’s was a well loved and respected Chambersburg business. By 1916, the shop was ready for a remodel and A. L. Sherk ,along with his son Harry, spared no expense in updating the space. The most modern of display fixtures were installed and the company became the talk of the industry for their impressive window displays. The store also became a local landmark when they installed a hugely oversized carved carpenter’s knife on the side of the building….a recognizable feature that remained in place until 1996 (one that current residents still fondly remember.)
Sherk’s Hardware closed in 1980, after an impressive 106 year run, and Christian Light Bookstore moved to 100 South Main, eventually also expanding into the space next door. The bookstore relocated to another area of town in 1996. Remembrance Gift Shop called the location home until 2005, and the Potomac bead Company took up residence until 2015, making the space available for THE FOUNDRY!
Moving in to the space in October 2015, the artist cooperative opened as an offshoot of Downtown Chambersburg Inc, DCI, for several pop up dates through the end of the year, to be able to take advantage of the holiday selling season. They then closed for three weeks to renovate the space, taking it back to original wood floor (under 5 layers of tile, carpet and laminate flooring!), exposed brick, and the beauty of the 1916 window addition, and reopened to a very receptive community in January 2016.
Since that time the Foundry has grown both in terms of attracting new artists from the area and inviting the community to make art with the Foundry artists during Chambersburg’s street festivals and First Fridays. The Foundry is an Art Market and Co-operative. Each member not only makes art but also helps run the business.