Editorial: Andy & Carla

After hearing the news that Andy’s and the Carla Massoni Gallery would be closing on the same day this month, it was easy to recall the line from Wilde when Lady Fairfax tells Earnest that to lose one parent is tragic, but to lose both parents was simply careless.  In our case, to lose the town’s signature venue for music and its flagship fine arts gallery on the same day strikes us as equally careless as well as tragic.

While we’ll wait to hear David Wright’s side of the story with regard to Andy’s, and what his plans will be for the building, neither of these store closings speaks well at the moment for the future for Chestertown’s downtown.  Both have created an undeniable magnet for locals and visitors alike, by offering the best of local art, music and simple food.  To suddenly lose both of these important anchors, operating as bookends to the High Street retail experience, leaves two large holes in our economy and our quality of life. It is truly a sad day for our community.

Both Andy and Carla have brought their own unique personality to their endeavors. Andy, with her perfect pitch ear for exceptional music, and Carla, with her never-failing eye for the gifted artist, brought these worlds of art and music to Chestertown unfailingly for twenty years.  We are so much the richer for them having done so.

We can only hope that these two significant gaps can be filled as soon as possible.  In the meantime, let us use July 18, when both Andy’s and Carla’s gallery will close, as a day of joy and graditude for these two special women, and what they have done for Chestertown.

– DW