Closure bittersweet for Christensen
Christensen Fine Art closing Saturday; Brock Mission benefitting from clearance sale
Christensen Fine Art, a gallery and custom framing business on George St., is closing for good on Saturday now that Lori and Peer Christensen have sold the building.
“It’s bittersweet – but such is life, sometimes,” said Peer Christensen, a painter who has run the business with his wife for 12 years.
The 1860s building has a gallery and framing operation at ground level, Christensen’s painting studio on the second floor and a luxury apartment – the couple’s residence – on the third floor.
But Christensen said the building sold quickly when they put it up for sale in April, to a local builder who plans to rent the building (and retain the commercial space at ground level).
The sale of the building closes July 31.
Peer Christensen grew up in Toronto after emigrating from Copenhagen, Denmark with his family when he was a child.
He made his name as a professional artist specializing in large paintings of industrial and urban scenes, as well as floral paintings.
He and Lori have two grown sons and a daughter (who lives with her husband and children in England).
But the Christensens say aren’t leaving the city when their downtown building changes hands: their new house is on Lisburn St. in East City, where he
will have a studio.
He will even be on the Kawartha Autumn Studio Tour in September, at his new home-based studio there (he’s been on the tour for 24 years).
Christensen, 64, said the closure of the custom framing business will leave him with more time to paint – particularly time during daylight hours. (For years he’s operated the framing business with Lori during the day and painted in the evenings.)
The Christensens have been long-time downtown entrepreneurs: more than 20 years ago, they owned a frame outlet called Starving Artist Gallery on Water St. (where Needles in the Hay wool shop is currently located).
At that time they also owned a gallery called Hunter West Gallery around the corner in the Commerce Building (where the men’s shop Providence is now located).
The couple also owned a home outside the downtown – which meant maintenance and utility bills in triplicate.
Twelve years ago when the building on George St. came up for sale, they saw the potential to put the gallery, framing business and an apartment all in one site.