Joseph Egerton in his Arts Afire Glass Gallery in 2011. Egerton died May 16 at the age of 79. Photo by Sandy Levitz Lunner/Gazette Packet
Joseph Egerton, a longtime Alexandria businessman whose ventures included the Arts Afire Glass Gallery on King Street, died May 16 after a long battle with Myelodysplastic Syndromes. He was 79.
A resident of Alexandria since 1972, Egerton’s first career was in publishing but his love of fine arts led him to a second career as a retail shop owner.
“I love high-end crafts and glass,” Egerton told the Gazette Packet in 2007 of his decision to open his gallery in 2000. “And during the economic downturn in 1994, I observed that hand-made crafts and jewelry remained strong sellers even in a bad economy.”
Born May 29, 1938, in Youngstown, Ohio, Egerton was the son of the late Howard and Marie Egerton. At age 6 he moved to Bowie, Md., and graduated from Bladensburg High School in 1956. He went on to establish a successful career as a production manager with Scripta Technica and then co-founded Hemisphere Publishing Corp., a DC publishing house producing health science books, journals and engineering reference books with emphasis on heat transfer. In 1985, Hemisphere was sold to Harper and Row Publishers and Egerton stayed on as executive vice president, retiring in 1987.
Egerton’s first retail venture was Egerton Gardens, which he opened in 1994 on South Washington Street with his spouse, the late David Torrey.
“I have been an entrepreneur in my own businesses since 1974,” Egerton said of his business ventures, which included Alexandria Type Company, Diversities Craft Gallery, Arts Afire Glass Gallery and the Arts Afire Craft Gallery. Egerton combined the glass and crafts gallery locations in 2006.
Egerton Gardens carried high-end garden fixtures, art and garden antiques. With its success, Egerton went on to establish Diversities, an American Craft Store and in 2000 acquired Arts Afire Glass Gallery, where he featured the works of more than 400 American artisans. He closed the gallery and retired in 2012.
Egerton served on several Alexandria boards, including KISMET and The Campagna Center, and chaired Old Town's last Decorator Show House in 2011, which featured the Charles Goodman Property. He founded the South Washington Street Merchants Association and folded it into KISMET after closing Egerton Gardens. He also participated in a number of retail studies for the City of Alexandria.
“Businesses are like humans,” Egerton said of his retail experiences. “They need to go through growing pains by themselves. No matter how much experience one has, the growing process has a life of its own. The only thing is that experience teaches you not to panic as the growth factor kicks in. And you are able to make better decisions to guide the business along.”
Egerton died at his Del Ray home following a long illness. He was predeceased by his spouse, David Torrey, in 2015. Services were private. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Myelodysplastic Syndrome Foundation, 4573 S. Broad St., Suite 150, Yardville, NJ 08620 or www.mds-foundation.org.
“Visitors love this town,” Egerton said of his decision to be a business owner in Alexandria. “It is historic, charming and easy to get around, and the offerings are truly international.”