Art and Heirloom Shoppe — Attraction in Ontario

My painting by Char McGill, an extremely talented local artist, was purchased from and then disappeared by the gallery during a fundraiser for Ukraine. After the purchase via my mother (a friend of the artist), she left the painting with the gallery to continue to display Char's impressive work - the piece was clearly marked "sold". Ken F., one of the gallery 'volunteers' gave away my painting for unknown reasons. Without even a simple apology another 'volunteer' at the gallery, Sue R., attempted to send $150 for the disappeared painting along with the following email after a request was made to track down the missing artwork: "Unfortunately, we do not keep the names of purchasers. Restitution for the amount paid has been done. You are free to purchase any of the other lovely pieces of Char's that we have at the shoppe."

The gall. These folks gave?/sold? my painting away, refused to apologize or attempt to track down the piece, and then have now said "too bad, we paid you back what you paid for it so it's case closed". Imagine if this had been done with a vehicle at a classic car show. Do not trust anything you covet...

This establishment “re-sold” a beloved painting (ostensibly for cash, with no record), after accepting my family’s money, and offered no explanation or apology. They have since offered to refund the money, but have taken ZERO steps to make this right by locating the painting… which is worth more than the $. I was fed a story about an apparent attempt to locate the painting on their Facebook page. I have not seen this apparent post. When I asked for further details about the post, Chris F. hung up on me, stating that my questions were bordering on harassment. Quick tip: asking for details to back up a claim is not harassment, it’s called follow through, something this establishment knows nothing about.

Edit: Money was offered, but that doesn’t make it “restitution”… in any event, mistakes happen. It’s how you handle a mistake that speaks to the character of a person. In this case, the callous disregard and nonchalance about this error speaks volumes about the character of the people at this...

The Art and Heirloom Shoppe is an amazing place to showcase our art. I especially love the diverse group of over 50 local artists that inspired me every time I step foot in the door. I am honoured to be one of the artists gracing the beautiful walls. I love the support we receive from Chris and Sue, and my fellow artists, as well as all of the art contests and events that have been held in such a beautiful setting. If you haven't had the opportunity to visit the Art and Heirloom Shoppe in downtown Chatham, I'd suggest you put it on your list...