Emotions are running high over the upcoming loss of Burnstown’s Fine Craft and Art Gallery.
The Bittersweet Gallery will be clearing out its inventory ahead of June 30th, when owners Cheryl Babineau and Richard Gill will wrap up after 20 years in business.
It’s an emotional moment for their regular customers, who say the closure will leave a hole in the community.
The couple began working together in 1998, when Gill was selling art out of a working studio that was so unorganized that he recalls one customer saying it made it “as hard as possible” to buy works from him.
He would meet Babineau, who was managing product consultants with the Byward Market’s LCBO at the time, who offered to help him put together the opening night for his annual art show.
The night was a massive success, and the two deepened their relationship, partnering as host and artist for what would eventually become the current version of the Bittersweet Gallery on Leckie Lane.
They now want to downsize while they’re still healthy and able, a decision that Cheryl says has led to many emotional visits by the loyal customer base that’s been built over the past two decades.
The couple will be clearing out their stock with discounts on their wares in the lead-up to the gallery’s final day on June 30th.
The gallery itself is also up for sale, offering prospective buyers a combination of living, studio, and retail space over 1.4 acres overlooking the Madawaska River, although Gill says he will likely not be part of its future.
Meanwhile, there are plenty of fond memories for the couple to go over, including their forays into jewellery and becoming the first gallery outside of Quebec to sell the work of the now-internationally renowned and Montreal-based artisan Anne-Marie Chagnon, even consulting with her on the design work of some of her works.
(written by Kasey Egan)