One Lane Road art gallery and gift shop in Oregon City.Samantha Swindler/ The Oregonian

On the other side of 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.

Named, appropriately, 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’s only open twice a month.

The One Lane Road gallery was born out of a pandemic idea Dawson had in December 2020. At the time, all the local craft fairs had been canceled and many of the stores where she sold her artwork were closed.

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

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

She called it the Self-Serve Gift Shop, and it was a hit.

“It was kind of a fun experience during a dark time, and I thought maybe I could do this on a larger scale one day,” she said.

Two years later, Dawson was looking for more storage space for her wholesale business and hoping to recreate some of the magic of the temporary self-serve gift shop. A longtime friend of Dawson’s who owns Eagle Plumbing in Oregon City sometimes rented out an extra garage space to small (usually industrial) businesses.

Owner Becky Dawson inside One Lane Road gallery and gift shop.Samantha Swindler/ The Oregonian

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She spent three months fixing up the space, adding shelving, string lights, and painting a big, friendly, blue Bigfoot on the outside of the garage to welcome visitors.

The gallery had its first open weekend in June.

News of the little art gallery behind the plumbing shop spread on social media, through word of mouth and by the hand-painted sandwich board signs Dawson places on the side of the road when she opens.

“It seems to be this pleasant surprise that people stumble upon,” she said.

Inside the One Lane Road gallery and gift shop, which sells greeting cards, tote bags, clothing and more featuring original designs by Becky Dawson.Samantha Swindler/ The Oregonian

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

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

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@oregonian.com; @editorswindler

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