A longtime gallery in Old Town Albuquerque is facing the end of an era after property owners decided to not renew its lease.<\/p>\n
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. \u2014 A longtime gallery in Old Town Albuquerque is facing the end of an era after property owners decided to not renew its lease.<\/p>\n
The artists who run the Amapola Co-Op Gallery told KOB they found out last month that the new owners of the building decided not to renew their lease. That means they have to move out at the end of January.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe property manager just came in and said there would be a new owner to the building and that our lease would not be renewed,\u201d gallery co-director Brenda Bowman said.<\/p>\n
This isn\u2019t the first time the gallery has moved locations \u2013 and directors said they\u2019re treating this as an opportunity.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe would love to stay on the Plaza,\u201d Bowman said. \u201cIf you know of a place that you think would be good for us, please let us know. We\u2019ll check it out.\u201d<\/p>\n
The gallery will stay open until their lease ends, continuing \u201cbusiness as usual.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re committed to being Amapola Gallery and to being a success wherever we are,\u201d artist Mary Ellen Merrigan said.<\/p>\n
Merrigan is one of the nearly 40 artists who showcase and sell their creations at the gallery. Managers said they moved in about 20 years ago. <\/p>\n
We reached out to the new owner to see why they didn\u2019t renew the lease and what they plan to do next. We haven\u2019t heard back yet. <\/p>\n