Julie Stoppel

Julie Stoppel never planned to become an art teacher, or a gallery owner for that matter. But in her life, the most meaningful turns have often come from spontaneous moments, from saying yes before she had time to think.

As a child, she was always drawing. “I was the kid who sat next to the paper in elementary school,” she remembers. “As soon as I was done with my math sheet, I would grab a piece of paper and start drawing dogs and horses.” She carried that impulse with her through adulthood, even as her career paths shifted. After earning a degree in art history from Michigan State University, she went into an unexpected field: shoes. For 18 years, she built a career in the shoe business, an experience that, though far removed from painting, taught her how to run a business, connect with people, and work with style and detail.

When tragedy struck her family years later, Julie and her husband decided to start over. “We just pretty much said we’re not living our authentic lives,” she says. “Let’s do what we always said we wanted to do and move up north.” They sold everything—their home, their car—and moved to Petoskey, Michigan, with their two-and-a-half-year-old daughter. Neither of them had jobs lined up. “It was kind of a crazy time,” Julie says, “but it felt right.”

One afternoon, while looking for a preschool for her daughter, she made a phone call that would unexpectedly change her life. “I heard about this lovely sounding place called Music, Magic, and Make-Believe,” she says. When she spoke to the woman in charge, the woman explained that they had all their teachers lined up except for one: they didn’t have an art teacher. “And just out of my mouth came, ‘I’m an art teacher,’” Julie says, still amused by how effortlessly it happened. “It was just one of those bizarre moments in your life where you say you’re something—and then you become it.”

That moment of bold honesty led to an interview, and before long, she was offered a new opportunity: a position at a brand new charter school that was just getting off the ground—Concord Academy in Petoskey, a K–12 school with a strong focus on the arts. “They took a chance on me,” Julie says. “And I worked for Concord Academy for 20 years.”

Teaching, as it turned out, was exactly where she was meant to be. “It was exciting to see kids light up when they created something,” she says. Her classroom became a space for curiosity and self-expression, echoing the same joy that had carried her through her own creative life. Through teaching, she found a deeper appreciation for how art can change people—not just the artists themselves, but everyone who experiences it.

In the summers, Julie returned to the gallery world, working as a director and rediscovering the thrill of matching people with art. “I really enjoyed that,” she says. “Finding the right piece for the person and feeling that emotional attachment to it.” That feeling stayed with her, quietly growing into a dream she’d carried since childhood: to one day open a gallery of her own.

“I was getting to an age where I knew that if I didn’t do it now, I would never do it,” she says. And then, as if the universe had been waiting for her to decide, the right space appeared. While shopping with her sisters-in-law, one of them came running back into a store, breathless with excitement. “Julie, Julie, the place next door would be perfect for your gallery!” Julie recalls. The timing couldn’t have been better. She signed the lease, and Somebody’s Gallery was born.

The name itself came from her daughter. “When she was little, if there was a vacant building anywhere we went, she would say, ‘Somebody should put a gallery there,’” Julie says. “And I thought she must have been talking about me. So now—I’m somebody.”

Somebody’s Gallery reflects everything Julie learned across her many lives—as a businesswoman, a teacher, and an artist. “Why do I surround myself with art? It makes me happy,” she says. “And I love making other people happy.” Her gallery is built on that simple idea. She wants it to be a place where everyone feels welcome, where art feels accessible instead of intimidating. “Anybody can find something to buy,” she says. “Whether it’s a $3,000 painting or a $2 button, everyone should feel comfortable here.”

Inside, the walls are filled with color and light. Julie curates the space with intention, choosing artists whose work radiates joy. “If you look around, you’ll notice that most of the work in here has a joyful aspect to it,” she says. “It’s not sad in any way—it’s all very joyful.” That mood extends beyond the art itself; Julie has a way of drawing in artists who share her warmth. “Every person I was connecting with as a gallerist turned out to be just a really nice, nice person,” she says.

Among the artists she represents are local names like Jim Lounsbury and Justin Gustafson, whose work has been on her walls since the gallery’s early days. “Justin’s been with us for 10 years,” Julie says proudly. “He just fits our whole joyful persona that we want to have in here.”

Her own work also has a place in the gallery. “This wall is my work,” she says, pointing to a collection of pastel landscapes. “It’s pastel on sandpaper.” She smiles when she explains how she came to that unusual surface. “My husband’s grandfather worked on sandpaper a hundred years ago,” she says. “And one day, I thought I’d try it. I never went back to paper.” The texture allows her to layer color—orange over purple, blue over green—without creating mud. “You can get much finer lines, and the colors just glow.”

Julie’s husband also built much of the furniture in the gallery: the display tables, the jewelry cases, even the movable benches that can be tucked away during installations. “Everything is on wheels,” she says. “It’s really great.” That hands-on practicality reflects the same blend of creativity and craftsmanship that defines the whole space.

Running Somebody’s Gallery has become a family affair. Julie’s daughter now works alongside her, helping to plan exhibits and prepare for the future. “We have a succession plan as I age out,” Julie says. “It’s exciting to know it’ll keep going.”

Looking back, Julie can see how every stage of her life led here. “Everything I’ve done has kind of led to this point,” she says. From the spontaneous “I’m an art teacher” moment to her decades in education and business, it all converged into a life centered on joy and art. “Go for it,” she tells others who are hesitant to start something new. “Do what you believe in. Be authentic in your life. Don’t be afraid to try things—because you’ll never know when you hit on the right thing.”

And in the heart of Petoskey, surrounded by color, laughter, and art, Julie Stoppel has found exactly that—the right thing.

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