Gainesville residents will no longer be able to sip rosé as they browse local art.
On Sept. 29, the Somewhere Along The Way art gallery and wine cafe closed its doors because the owner is in the process of moving to Boston. The store was open for a year and a half.
The owner, Mark Richardson, is moving to Boston with his family because his wife got a job there, said store manager Christina Bartonicek. Richardson hopes to open another gallery in an area of the city with many local businesses.
Before closing, the art in the store was sold and all of the pieces remained for sale unless the artists came to pick them up, Bartonicek said. The business will finish moving out of its rented space permanently by the end of October.
The gallery moved from Micanopy to its Second Avenue location in February 2018 after three years in hopes of attracting more traffic. But, the location’s higher costs made it tougher for the business to stay afloat, Bartonicek said.
Most of the pieces sold in the gallery were from local artists. The demand for art in Gainesville is high, and local contribution and support was important to the gallery, she said.
The gallery shared a block with another art shop, Black C Art Gallery. Bartonicek recalls her neighbors as being wonderful.
“It felt like we were building a little art community,” Bartonicek said. “The hardest part is losing the customers, because they always make the experience the best.”
Laura Jupin, a hair stylist at Dale’s Salon across the street, was a long-time regular of the gallery since it opened in Micanopy.
Jupin said she came in to the gallery sometimes for beer, but more often she came for the company when she was on break. She bought many pieces over the years, including originals by Bartonicek.
Jupin, who participated in Artwalk with the gallery every month, credited her attraction to the store to the beauty of the art and the friendly atmosphere. She said she’s sad to see the gallery go.
The gallery, which shares the name of a Nat King Cole song featuring the lyrics, “You’re gone, and yet there’s still a feeling deep inside that you will always be part of me,” has left Jupin feeling a similar way, she said.
“Art will always be a part of my life,” she said.
Somewhere Along the Way Art Gallery and Wine Cafe hangs up signs about its closing sale in its storefront.
The art remain in the store until artists come to pick up their pieces.
