About

GARTH sits in the historic borough of Columbia, Pennsylvania—89 miles west of Philadelphia, 65 miles north of Baltimore, only 172 miles west of New York City, and mere minutes from Lancaster County’s famous Amish region. From 2001, until November 2024, Garth Gallery & Frame Shop sat a few hundred yards from the banks of the Susquehanna River, The gallery & framing studio was housed in a mid-19th century storefront and carriage house.

In addition to the art-oriented aspect of the business, Garth also gained a great reputation as an event venue. Additionally, his upper floor was a well-loved coffee shop where artists and art lovers alike met on a daily basis.

SOMETIME in the spring of 2024, Cleon Berntheizel rediscovered his own art making passion, which started many years before he even considered opening a gallery. He began painting again—and greatly enjoying it. After 23 years of running a successful gallery and event venue, he realized that he missed the inherent beauty of creating art and interacting with other artists as a compatriot. This period helped him realize that representing artists, talking art, and making art was what really made him happy. it was time to set course back to the basics of art. It was time to faze out the peripheral distractions and focus on ‘art’ (making, selling, and representing)—his true raison d’être.

SINCE its founding in 2001, The gallery & frame shop at Garth has committed to the needs of artists, independent art lovers, and corporate entities requiring a comprehensive resource for both art and custom framing. Garth’s focus, now, is about the art of presenting art. A natural conclusion.

Cleon Garth Berntheizel

LIKE his Berntheizel ancestors who first came to Columbia, Pennsylvania in the late-1700s, Cle Berntheizel is a native Columbian, He graduated from the York Academy of Arts, and soon moved to New York City, where he developed a modeling career, augmenting his income with graphic design work. After four years in the Big Apple, he returned to Columbia where he initiated an exhaustive portfolio of local landmarks meticulously rendered in pen and ink. Within the next decade, Cle established himself in various related fields from printing to, eventually, becoming vice-president of sales for a well-respected advertising agency in Lancaster.

CLEON Garth Berntheizel’s vision for his community’s future comes into focus as a councilman for Columbia Borough and as a board member of Columbia Downtown Development Corporation (now known as Create Columbia), and as a participant in other community organizations.