Penny Rothschild, owner of two Coronado art galleries, Emerald C Gallery and Ruby P Gallery, continues to keep the doors to her gallery open, despite the loss of business stemming from her neighbor’s (Brigantine restaurant) major renovation. Rothschild explained that over the last several weeks, the green fencing that surrounds the Brigantine and spans the length of the restaurant’s parking lot, has reduced the storefront’s visibility, making it extremely difficult for foot traffic to easily find and access her gallery.
Emerald C Gallery is located near the back of the Brigantine’s parking lot. “I literally came into work on Monday morning and went ‘whoa!’ I didn’t receive a warning,” said Rothschild. “I knew about the renovation, as I frequently eat lunch at the Brigantine, but I had no idea the extent of the renovation or that this fence would be going up.”
“The landlord should have given me a 60 day notice, prior to the neighboring business starting construction,” said Rothschild.
“Right now, I’m lucky if 4 people come into the gallery a day,” said Rothschild. “Usually, we had 50 pass through Emerald C in the off season.”
“Thankfully, I opened another gallery during all of this, and it’s helping bring people into Emerald C,” said Rothschild. Ruby P Gallery, Rothschild ‘s newest gallery, opened at the beginning of April and is located just a few hundred feet away from Emerald C.
Prior to the renovation, Rothschild says she hired three additional employees, filled the gallery’s calendar with activities that would draw people into Emerald C, and purchased marketing collateral to promote her gallery, all in an attempt to bring exposure to not only her businesses, but the talented artists’ work that she’s fortunate to showcase.
Now, with the renovation in progress, Rothschild says she has increased her marketing collateral to include signage that promotes the “open” gallery and directs customers on how to access the building. Additionally, she has discounted the price of her children’s art classes and been forced to let some of the art instructors, who were paid per diem, go.
“One of the owners of the property visited the gallery and was surprised to see how difficult it is to find my business. I’m asking for justice to be done, and that my landlords will do right by me,” said Rothschild.
“I want the owners to acknowledge what they have done and compensate me accordingly. All I am asking of them is to waive my rent, but now, since I am logging everything, I am starting to see how the construction has made an impact on my marketing dollars,” said Rothschild.
eCoronado.com reporter Ruth Klamper reached out multiple times to El Cordova, LLC, the owners of the property, for comment and has not received a response as of press time.
Rothschild says she has provided more than enough documentation to show how her business has drastically declined over the past several weeks.
“Will I get more business when the renovation is complete and the Brigantine re-opens? Yes. But, my business has been thriving and right now it’s dead,” said Rothschild.
The Brigantine has been a staple in the local restaurant scene in Coronado. Construction is projected to take six weeks. Renovation began in mid-March and Mike Morton, Jr., President of the Brigantine restaurants, estimates the grand re-opening will take place sometime between May 1-15.
According to Morton, ”the restaurant was overdue for a remodel, as it was last renovated in 2004. We are [he is] expecting to see a 20% increase in traffic and dollars, once the remodel is complete, which will bring more exposure to surrounding businesses.” You can learn more about what the “Brig’s” renovation entails here.
Emerald C Gallery opened it’s doors in October 2014 and remains open to customers, despite the nearby construction. The gallery is located at 1331 Orange Ave, Coronado, CA 92118.
