The Drawing Room closes on Mission St. while Valencia St. location is up in the air

"All of a sudden, the healthcare company that has been subsidizing The Drawing Room's rent at 2675 Mission St. was defunded by President Donald Trump. DeCarlo asked to keep the company's name confidential to protect this supporter of her gallery. "There was no way I could do this without people helping support the rent," DeCarlo said. "I'm not going to squat and we have to go.""

"On top of this, with the adjacent GameStop shutting down in 2024, the property lost its biggest source of income. The owner of the property would like to keep the space empty to show potential buyers. "I don't want to be a burden to the building which is being sold," DeCarlo added. "We're at the mercy of real estate," she said."

"For DeCarlo, this scenario has been painfully familiar: The Drawing Room must move again. Already, this is the fifth location The Drawing Room has made since its launch in 2018. DeCarlo has now taught herself to call the disruptions as "these opportunities of having to move." Even the remaining space at 599 Valencia St. at the corner of 17th and Valencia streets, has an uncertain future. David Levin, a former owner of the property where Harrington Galleries stood for many years, confirmed that the current owner is in contract with a buyer. Particulars about the contract remain unknown as both the current owner and DeCarlo declined to comment. The Drawing Room first opened at 2675 Mission St. for a year, from December 2019 to November 2020, at a rent of $1 per month. Before it moved in, the space had sat empty for nine and a half years, according to DeCarlo."

Renée DeCarlo will close The Drawing Room's 2675 Mission St. location barely a year after reopening; a gallery sale will run from Friday through its final day on Sunday. A healthcare company that subsidized the gallery's rent at that address was defunded by President Donald Trump, removing critical support. The adjacent GameStop’s 2024 closure eliminated the property's largest income source, and the owner wants the space kept empty to show potential buyers. The gallery has moved five times since launching in 2018 and calls relocations "opportunities of having to move." The remaining 599 Valencia St. space faces an uncertain future amid a sale contract.

Read at Mission Local