St. Catharines Downtown Association

Elliott & Company will close its St. Paul Street store at the end of January, said Mark Elliott, but Mark and Krys Elliott, who are both artists, are not abandoning the city's core.

They will continue to rent warehouse and studio space in the rear of the building they have rented for 23 years, they said, and Mark said he still believes the city's core is poised for revival. He just wants to do other things and he can't afford to wait.

"I'm 55," Mark said, "and we are four or five years away from a recovery. Do I want to pour money into my business for five years before I get a return? We are going to be focusing on our art."

Krys, a painter who also works in mixed media, said she's looking forward to being able to devote herself to her art.

"I'll have the time to pursue my career professionally," she said. "I will be able to put the time and energy and thought into what I'm creating."

Both Mark and Krys will exhibit their work at CRAM, the artists' collective on James Street. Although Mark said they "work very differently," they are thinking of doing something together.

Please see full story in The St. Catharines Standard by M. Bergsma at: