NATCHEZ &045; A new business on Franklin Street’s Antiques Row has made its debut in time for the city’s busy Pilgrimage season, which began Saturday.

Morris Gallery, 631 Franklin St., has opened in an airy space the owners describe as compatible with their own vision of the gallery they have dreamed of operating together.

&uot;Yesterday a woman from New Orleans who runs a gallery there stopped in to see us,&uot; Becky Morris, co-owner with her husband, Jeff Morris, said earlier in the week. &uot;She said it was a beautiful gallery and that she thought we’d be successful.&uot;

Paintings are on the wall and several bronzes are placed about the large room, painted soft green to complement the carpeting of a similar hue.

Brilliant colors of landscapes and still lifes in a mix of realist and impressionist styles grace the walls.

The Morrises have chosen a variety of sizes of art, oils and water colors, all in keeping with their slogan, &uot;Showcasing Old-World Style Art by World-Class Artists.&uot; And artists represented are from all over the world as well as regional and local.

&uot;We are so proud to be attracting Mississippi artists,&uot; Becky Morris said. &uot;They see the kind of place we have and seem to be very glad to show their work here.&uot;

The couple is especially pleased to have works from two Natchez artists, K. Thomas Browning and Sharon Richardson Barnett.

Natchez is their new home, and the Morrises said they are here to stay. Jeff Morris said they wanted to move to the South from Portland, Ore., where they had lived for 12 years, but they had many Southern cities from which to choose.

Visiting Natchez almost by accident, however, they fell in love with the town and decided it was exactly right for their home and the new business they wanted to open together.

Scouting Natchez to see what kinds of businesses there were in the downtown area, they decided an art gallery would fit well with already existing shops.

With their diverse backgrounds, Becky as an accountant and Jeff in financial and banking industry sales, they felt their strengths would work well together in a business.

Describing themselves as modest collectors of art, the Morrises have not pulled from their own private collection but have purchased new art for the gallery’s inventory and will continue to add new pieces.

They especially hope Natchez shoppers will come to the gallery and see what they have. &uot;We’re not a stuffy art museum kind of place,&uot; Jeff Morris said. &uot;We don’t want to convey that atmosphere at all. We want this to be a place a first-time buyer or a collector can be comfortable.&uot;

The gallery will sell only original art and not prints. &uot;We want to sell timeless works that will be appreciated for generations,&uot; Jeff Morris said. &uot;These items will not

go in and out of fashion.&uot;