FULL in figure, hair down his back, by his own admission the man pottering around the chic art gallery often looks like a scarecrow.

In his thick woolly jumper, baggy trousers and soft-shoes, he could easily be mistaken for the handyman, particularly as he is always attending to some chore. But Richard Hindle owns Gallerina, in Darlington, and for the past six months has sweated blood overseeing a major expansion to produce one of the best arts venues in the country, with a reputation among artists and collectors worldwide.

The cheery, welcoming smile and laid-back approach belie Richard's passion for arts and hatred of the traditional snobbish art world. He looks what he is and his customers love him for it in fast-increasing numbers.

In fact, when he opened his new premises on Saturday, next door to the original Gallerina at No 37 Duke Street, his clients brought him cards and presents to celebrate. "When I closed the doors on Saturday I was close to tears," recalls the 32-year-old, who was born and bred in Cockerton, Darlington. "It was such a super day, I was moved, and not many people in the business can say that. It feels great that my efforts are appreciated so much by people. I could not ask to get more out of life.

"People brought me champagne, flowers, chocolates and cards and I thought, it's supposed to be the other way around. It should be me dishing out the bubbly. I was lost for words."

The minute anyone walks through the door of the new-look gallery they are struck, not simply by the myriad colours of the works adorning the walls, or the tasteful furnishings and attractive lighting, but by the warm, welcoming, accessible atmosphere. It's a far cry from the traditional gallery image and something he and partner Gwen Brown have worked tirelessly to achieve.

"The gallery was born from enthusiasm and frustration," Richard explains. After a career in photography, his first business was as a picture framer and during his travels he met "wonderful" artists who would inspire him and also the art snobs who would shape his future.

"In so many art galleries we visited over the years, we were made to feel uncomfortable and intimidated by an elitist attitude. I still feel intimidated walking in some today. It makes me really angry the way they treat people. But on the other hand it makes my job easier because we are not like them. It's the most important side of what we are about - making these great works accessible.

"The fact that a section of society wants to keep to itself, and walk around these clinical environments with a glass of wine, and wants to keep the likes of me out of its way, suits me down to the ground, because it keeps them out of my way. We are not here for art snobs, we are here for ordinary people."

Richard believes art is for everyone, that it's classless, and he is busy smashing down the barriers. But he has found that the North/South divide is more evident in art than almost any other sector. "Those who know the gallery tell me it is one of the best in the country. Those who don't know it are attracted by the 'novelty' of a gallery 'so far north'. They are surprised we don't don flat caps and go everywhere with a whippet. They are even more surprised when we get straight back on the phone for re-commissions, which shows them there is a good market up north."

But it doesn't stop him welcoming customers from all over the country. "We had a lovely gentleman come into the gallery. He spoke to us on several occasions before handing us his business card. He turned out to be a Lord from London. He was full of praise for the gallery and amazed at the mix of work. He told me he was so impressed he was going to organise a bus trip of all his friends and bring them up north to show them what a 'proper gallery looks like'."

Just as the gallery is accessible to customers of all backgrounds, so it is to all contemporary artists - who are paid up-front for their work, a rarity in the art world. Gallerina exhibits the work of a host of international artists - a Japanese painter living in Paris, three Russians now working in America, and artists from Malta, America, Germany and France.

But the most rewarding part of the job for Richard is discovering new talent. "It's the most exciting part of what we are trying to do - hanging local work next to artists with an international reputation and seeing the local work stand up or even outshine it."

Local names like Victoria Bellas, Lou Harris, Tom McGuinness, Emma Butler and Brian Pike are getting maximum coverage in Gallerina and nationwide exposure as a result. Much sought-after works by the North-East's "square sheep artist" Mackenzie Thorpe are also exhibited there. It's a blend which is delighting customers.

"Gallerina's success has proven that art is accessible to all of us given the chance. It's about daring to take five minutes to look at the work we have secured, often exclusively, for the North of England. It's never about money. So many strong friendships have materialised from visiting the gallery and we even get invited to people's homes to see how the work has settled in," says Richard.

"I think it is life-changing stuff. It's a journey. Once you have got your first piece, you have had it - you are on the slippery slope and there is no turning back." That slope for Gallerina can only rise upwards.

*Gallerina is open 9am to 5pm Monday to Saturday, contact (01325) 363635, www.gallerina.co.uk

* Its first exhibition will be staged from Monday, centring on the works of Darlington artist Lou Harris