Even at 19, Frank Goss knew he had a knack for collecting artwork.
He bought up cartoon-like prints while on trips to Europe, the work of Frenchman Honoré Daumier, who often used art to poke fun at 19th century social and political figures of his time.
Daumier took center stage at the first-ever art exhibit at Sullivan Goss, an American gallery Goss opened with wife Tricia in 1984 at 7 E. Anapamu St. in downtown Santa Barbara.
The couple soon will say goodbye to that building, which has also housed the Arts & Letters Café for the past 20 years.
The Gosses put the building on the market last week, hoping to spend more time with each other in Tricia’s retirement. Goss will continue running his gallery out of the 3,000 square feet he has rented next door at 11 E. Anapamu St. the past decade.
While the gallery lives on, Goss said he’d love if someone opened another restaurant in the coveted space boasting one of the city’s only private, walled gardens.
Arts & Letters Café will remain open to loyal locals, serving traditional California fare for lunch and hosting holiday parties until the building is sold, which Goss expects will happen in the next few months.
At least three of the 10 individuals who have already walked through the property — listed by Hayes Commercial Group — were interested in keeping it an eatery, he said.
The restaurant where Goss’s 26-year-old son got his start as a dishwasher and chef (before heading off to a larger kitchen in Chicago) has seating for 100 but could house 50 more if the new owner puts chairs into the gallery.
“We wanted a building next to a museum,” Goss said, nostalgically recalling how the gallery began.
Neither were artists, but Tricia studied art history in college and Goss opted for comparative ancient literatures.
Goss ran an engineering firm in Pasadena for 20 years, but the couple moved up north in search of a gallery they could call their own.
“The difference here is they’re interested in the arts,” Goss said of what put Santa Barbara in front of the pack of potential places.
Sullivan Goss — An American Gallery will continue specializing in prints and paintings, with the same curators moving into the larger exhibition space.
Goss, 66, said he plans to retire at 70, at which time he hopes to hand the gallery over to staff that have been equally dedicated to art education.
— Noozhawk staff writer Gina Potthoff can be reached at gpotthoff@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.