As Allentown continues to evolve, there are some exciting changes taking place, as well as some sad ones. Photographer Michael Mulley, who is the proprietor of longstanding College Street Gallery, is being displaced at long last. I ran into Mike at Chalkfest and asked him about losing his gallery space at 244 Allen Street. “I suppose it was only a matter of time,” he told me. “I knew that at some point my space would become more valuable and I would have to get moving. Crust Pizza is taking over the space, expanding from next door. They will be adding a bar to the restaurant. Like I said, I’m not surprised – a bar will always win out over a gallery.”
This evening is Mike’s “last hurrah” at the Allen Street gallery. He is hosting a “farewell” party featuring three bands from 7pm to 10pm. From here on out, Mike’s fans can find him down at the Market Arcade where he already occupies a small gallery – Queen City Gallery. “Developer Nick Sinatra (new Market Arcade owner) seems like a nice guy, and the management is giving me the ability to do use some of the common space at the building so that I can continue to support artists in Buffalo. You never know… I’m not going anywhere, and I plan on doing some great things in the city still.”
Following are some snippets from a letter that Mike wrote out and posted on his Allen Street gallery window regarding vacating the building:
Queen City Gallery
Market Arcade
617 Main St # 103
Buffalo, NY 14203
(716) 856-2839