Meet Our Founders: Gloria and Herb Barker

In 1948, shortly after they were married, Gloria and Herb started a business based on their idea of imprinting company names on promotional objects, and Barker Specialty Company was born. Working long hours side-by-side, Gloria and Herb grew their small business into a multi-million dollar company. They had four children who learned all aspects of the business as they accompanied their parents to trade shows and conventions. Today, Gloria and Herb are proud that Gerry, Steven, Adrienne and Amy all participate in the family business, and have taken over the operation of Barker Specialty entirely. With 85 associates, the company is considered one of the ‘Top 30 Promotional Products Dealer’ in the USA. The Barker Family Companies were awarded ‘Family Business of the Year’ in 2002 by UCONN.

Herb Barker is a United States Army Veteran having served with the Signal Corps during the Korean War and received an honorable discharge in 1951. 

In 1990, Herb was nominated ‘Boss of the Year’ for the State of Connecticut by the Connecticut Jaycees. In 1997, Herbert Barker received the honorary degree of “Doctor of Humane Letters” from Briarwood College, Southington, Connecticut in recognition of his years of community service to New England cities and the State of Connecticut. Gloria and Herb are patrons of the Broward Performing Arts Foundation, Inc. and grand benefactors of the Florida Grand Opera and members of The Opera Guild of Fort Lauderdale 21^st Century Fund.  They are also both members of the Broward Hundred Club.

Herbert Barker is a specialist in animation art and character collectibles. Gloria and Herb began collecting animation art and collectibles in the 1960’s. Today in Cheshire, Connecticut, they own the largest animation and entertainment art gallery in the world consisting of 30,000 square feet of retail, wholesale, and corporate headquarters. The Barker Animation Art Gallery had its Grand Opening in West Hartford in 1993 and moved to the Barker complex in Cheshire in 1995. The Gallery maintains a huge stock of vintage and current artwork from the top artists in the field of animation and character driven art. To give this artwork even more exposure to the public, Gloria and Herb opened a new gallery in The Village at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Florida, in November 2010.

Another popular feature of the Barker complex in Cheshire is The Barker Character, Comic and Cartoon Museum, which exhibits over 80,000 character themed toys and artifacts. The museum attracts over 30,000 visitors every year, coming from all over the world to see this unique museum.

Gloria and Herb take an active role in their community with a special interest in children's charities. Gloria is a Life Member and Keeper of the Gate for Hadassah, active with the Curtis Home for Children and was Chairman of the Human Rights Commission. In 1998, Gloria and Herb began donating some of their art collection to neighboring cities, churches and synagogues, YMCAs, American Red Cross, Connecticut Association of Schools, Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Harold Leever Cancer Center, Hospital for Special Care, MidState Medical Center, Myth Youth Foundation, New Britain General Hospital, Operation Respect CT, and UCONN Health Center, totaling over one million dollars’ worth of art donations.  They are continuing their work in Florida by declaring 2012 as “The Year of Art for Health” and by donating artwork to many of the area hospitals.

Herb and Gloria, have been married for over 60 years and live in Hollywood, Florida. Herb is most proud of Gloria who says, “I hope to stay alive, so I can keep on giving”.

Gloria passed away October 22^nd, 2017 and her beloved husband passed away April 3, 2019.   They both left a big hole in the hearts of their children, family, friends and employees. 

In memory:

CHESHIRE - On Sunday, Oct. 22, 2017, our hearts were broken with the passing of Gloria Barker. Gloria and her husband, Herbert, founded and ran many successful businesses in Meriden including Upham's Department Stores, Golden Skillet Fried Chicken, Barker Specialty Company, and most recently, Barker Animation Art Galleries.

Gloria, born in Long Beach, N.Y., was the youngest of three daughters of Maude and Rudolph Pick. Gloria grew up in Long Beach, N.Y. After graduating from Bryant College, Gloria met the love of her life, Herbert Barker, and they were married during a blizzard on Dec. 19, 1947.

Gloria leaves wonderful memories for her children, Amy Barker, Gerry and Debbi Barker, Steven and Susan Barker, and Adrienne and Alan Anctil. Deeply missing their loving grandmother are Alivia Barker, Maxwell Barker, Harrison Barker, Sophia Barker, Alex and Corie Coleman, Samuel Coleman, Rudolph Barker, and Alana Anctil; and missing her great-grandmother is Makiela Coleman. Gloria loved to help others. One of Gloria's favorite comments was "I wish I had all the money in the world, so I can give it all away." It is impossible to abbreviate Gloria's remarkable life to a couple of paragraphs …a book written by Cesar Becerra is currently in progress.

In memory:  With great sadness, the Barker Family announces the passing of Herbert Barker - a family man and philanthropist whose zeal and enthusiasm for life was infectious. .Born January 23, 1929 in Meriden, CT to Julius and Sophie Barker, Herb was the youngest of five brothers. He left high school to run his family's grocery store while his brothers served in the Military during WWII. Herbert was a United States Army Veteran serving with the Signal Corps during the Korean War and received an honorable discharge in 1956.Herb is survived by his four children - Gerald and Debra Barker of Cheshire, CT; Amy Barker of Pompano Beach, FL; Steve and Susan Barker of Old Saybrook, CT; and Adrienne Barker-Anctil and Alan Anctil of Daytona Beach, FL. Herb leaves behind eight grandchildren and one great granddaughter- Alex and Corie Coleman; Samuel Coleman; Rudolph Barker; Alanna Anctil; Sophia Barker; Alivia Barker; Maxwell Barker; Harrison Barker and fiancée Shlomit  zoulay, and Makeila Coleman. Herb was a charismatic entrepreneur and visionary. In 1948, shortly after marrying Gloria of Long Beach, NY, Gloria and Herb started a business based on their idea of imprinting company names on useful products for advertising. Working long hours side-by-side, Gloria and Herb grew their small business into one of the leading promotional products companies in the USA .Herb's passion for business never ceased; his many ventures include a wholesale toy company called Superior Gifts, a large department store called Uphams', and even a fried chicken franchise called Golden Skillet. As an entrepreneur, Herb was proud to be awarded "Boss of the Year" by the Greater Hartford Jaycees, and to be inducted into the inaugural class of the CT Business Hall of Fame .For over 30 years Gloria and Herb traversed North America with a keen eye for animation art and collectibles. Today, with many smiles, we all enjoy their collection displayed in six Barker Animation Art Gallery locations between Connecticut and Florida. Herb and Gloria's donated artwork colors the walls of many hospitals, non-profits, and religious institutions .Herbert was an amazing person - as a young husband and father, he worked 65-hour work weeks and still found time to be an aggressive tennis player, bowler, and softball pitcher. Herb loved to drop kick 40-yard field goals while his children battled to catch the football. A recipient of many honors and awards, Herb's proudest moment after his family and business was being awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Humanities.