Boulder Arts & Crafts Gallery will close its doors April 4

For decades, the Boulder Arts & Crafts Gallery has been an anchor of the Pearl Street Mall, a haven of creativity and a go-to destination for unique and beautiful gifts.

After 50 years in business, the gallery at 1421 Pearl St. will close its doors for good April 4.

Started in 1971 as a memberowned artist cooperative, the Boulder Arts & Crafts Gallery had more than 80 contributing members at its peak, according to a news release. It is now owned by 18 members, many of whom are nearing retirement, and the gallery has felt the economic pressure of the pandemic and the rising cost of doing business.

“The prohibitive rent on Pearl Street Mall is shutting down a lot of local businesses, and corporate entities are moving in because they have the ability to weather it,” said member-owner Cha Cha, who creates metal craftwork.

Member-owner Anne Gifford joined the cooperative in 1980 and remembers its start as a “small hippie art gallery” that became an arts and crafts destination.

“We’ve hosted artists from all over the U.S., and many young artists got their start here. We are proud to have helped new artists gain confidence in themselves, and many are still making their living as artists,” Gifford said in a statement.

Boulder Chamber President John Tayer said he has items from the gallery in “every nook and corner” of his home.

“There are very few folks in Boulder who don’t have a personal relationship with the Arts & Crafts Gallery, both as a place you visited for your own personal gifts but also loved to show off to visitors to the community,” Tayer said. “In that regard it certainly is a loss from a business but also from a personal perspective.”

In addition to selling an array of art — ceramics, paintings, photography, glass art, jewelry, sculpture, metal art and furniture — the cooperative started an annual charity event to benefit local and artist organizations. Local potters donated bowls for the Souper Bowlder, and proceeds benefited groups such as Community Food Share, Women’s Bean Project and the Emergency Family Assistance Association.

Boulder Arts & Crafts Gallery has always felt like a family, Cha Cha said, and its closing feels a bit like a death, though several of its members will continue creating art for the community.

“We’ve had some really interesting characters over the years, but I love that we all respect each other and support each other,”

she said. “There are several of us who keep reinventing ourselves, but that’s what we do. The co-op will shut down, but we’ll reinvent ourselves, because that’s what artists do.”

The Boulder Chamber and Downtown Boulder leaders will continue to look for ways to support businesses as they recover from the impacts of the pandemic, Tayer said.

“COVID certainly has impacted the ability for some of our favorite businesses to hold on, and we as a business support organization will continue to do everything we can to support them and try to help them sustain as we begin the recovery process,” he said. The gallery’s members have been overwhelmed by hearing from the community about how much they loved it and how sad they are to see it go, Cha Cha said.

“We are so grateful to have been supported by so many local people, and it’s gratifying to know our efforts have made such an impact over the years,” she said.

The gallery will offer all items at 60% off until Sunday and 80% off until April 4.