73°
Then COVID-19 hit.
The Holyoke arts space took out a small business loan, kept take-out food available, started a GoFundMe, and cut staff from 40 people down to 2 in an effort to make ends meet, but it wasn’t enough. Economic restrictions brought on to stop the spread of COVID-19 have largely put a stop to indoor music events and concerts.
Now, Gateway City Arts owners said they will be closing on Dec. 31 and ideally would like to find a person or group of people interested in purchasing the space and continuing to promote the arts in Holyoke.
“We don’t have the resources or energy to start over once it is possible,” said owners Lori Divine-Hudson and Vitek Kruta in an open letter to the community.
“The future is taking longer to get here than we ever imagined. It is time for us to move on to the next chapter in our lives and let others take over.”
Divine-Hudson and Kruta purchased the sprawling former industrial building on Race Street and turned it into Gateway City Arts in 2010. The venue quickly created a buzz in the local arts community where it grew a reputation as a fun place to catch a show, see new bands, and get something unconventional and tasty to eat (like spaetzle mac n’ cheese, for example).
The nonprofit’s GoFundMe will be taken down on Sunday, Dec. 13, the owners said. They were seeking to raise $70,000 and collected nearly $40,000. It costs about $11,000 per month to maintain Gateway City Arts, pay the mortgage, taxes, and utility bills, Divine-Hudson estimated.
Divine-Hudson and Kruta thanked the community, in their letter, for the support throughout Gateway's years of operation and said they will miss being involved in Holyoke’s burgeoning arts scene. Without the venue to manage, the couple said they plan to spend more time with their grandchildren.
“We are very proud of Gateway City Arts and how it evolved,” the owners said. “Magic happened at Gateway when we all came together.”
Click here to follow Daily Voice Hampshire Franklin and receive free news updates.
