06/07/2026
Hello everyone. As a lot of you know the front deck collapsed at the space we lease at the Maris Stella Inn on our opening day which was 4/20. We have waited patiently for updates; however the owner or his son depending on who you talk to is in charge of repairs. They have received at least four bids that I am aware of - and until we got the city involved due to a requirement for a safety inspection for our business license we heard nothing. Not one word or attempt at communication with us - at all. I have had two disabled people (one just yesterday) who said that the condition of the building is nothing like the photos. The man yesterday told me that they had cancelled their booking and stayed somewhere else. He then proceeded to tell me the building is a total s$&-hole and the whole building should be condemned. So after spending the first weeks of blaming us for the collapse, saying we had 60 people on the deck (which as many of you know because you were there) that is absolutely not true. I had to go into the permit office and ask for updates because all we were hearing from the leasing agent was to blame the insurance company and that they were waiting on bids. The amount of people we had on the deck would have never caused a catastrophic failure like that had the building been up to code; however it wasnât. There were zero hangars holding up the deck and all of the joists were rusted out. The city sent a letter stating the landlord was 100 # liable for repairs and the collapse was not âa load bearing issue.â The landlord also expects us to pay our full rent, which we did pay for June, even though our business is severely impacted and we have no disabled access. The city is ready to red tag the building if the repair work is not done but we cannot get a time frame at all from the leasing agent (who is speaking for the owner) on when we can expect them to even start repairs. I couldnât bring myself to go in today. It just makes me so sad that the lifelong dream of two very hard working artists has been so negatively impacted by a complete failure of accountability and ownership. Two questions. Does anyone know of a small space where we can move that is not $2200 a month? We love the space next to the Harbor Bar but cannot afford it. Does anyone have any other suggestions? Also, shouldnât the city be going after these slumlords? I hate to use that word but after all the pain and heartache and lack of communication regarding this I am failing to come up with a better adjective. Look at the Shilo and all of the complaints on the hotels around here. Shouldnât there be better code enforcement so these things donât continue to happen? We are going to keep going. Our mission is to spread art and light. We have spent weeks working on donation items for individuals that have brought so much joy to people. We are not going to let this stop us, but I am starting to think it is time to move. Any and all feedback, help and suggestions/encouragement is greatly appreciated. I am trying to find the strength to drag myself in there every day but it is getting harder. Thank you from all of us at Wild Spirit Gallery.
