Gallery Pastry Shop closing final location Sunday
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
End of an era. Photo: Courtesy of Gallery Pastry Shop
Gallery Pastry Shop on North College Avenue is preparing to serve patrons for the final time.
Why it matters: With the shuttering of its SoBro location this Sunday, the brunch spot that burst onto the Indy dining scene with a tray of European-inspired pastries nearly a decade ago will no longer have a brick-and-mortar presence in the Circle City.
- Two other Gallery locations closed last year.
Driving the news: Owner Alison Keefer announced the upcoming closure this week on social media.
- She said the decision is being made so that she can spend more time with her three young sons and prioritize her health.
- She added that the Gallery brand will continue as a catering company.
- Keefer kept the door to a comeback open, saying that Gallery may return with a new physical location.
- "But for now…family," Keefer wrote.
Catch up quick: The original Gallery Pastry Shop opened in 2016 at 1101 E. 54th St.
- Gallery Bistro & Bar, a spinoff with a greater emphasis on specialty cocktails, opened at 110 S. Pennsylvania St. in 2020.
- In 2021, Gallery on 16th opened at 319 E. 16th St.
- The original location moved to 4573 N. College Ave. in March 2023.
State of play: Gallery Bistro & Bar closed in August 2024, and Gallery on 16th closed in November.
The intrigue: The back-to-back closures came amid a flurry of complaints from former employees who took to Reddit to share stories of alleged mistreatment and mismanagement.
- Among the allegations directed at Gallery owners were failure to pay employees, not providing proper tax information and decision-making that led to a string of failed restaurant inspections.
- In a statement to IndyStar, Keefer called the claims slanderous and baseless, stating all tax information has been made available.
- Last year, Keefer told IBJ the inspection issues stemmed from a water heater failure that required emergency plumbing, and waiting for new electronic sensors for kitchen sinks to arrive.
What she's saying: Keefer said although opening a business is difficult, maintaining one is even harder.
- "And doing it through a pandemic, pregnant three times and opening three new restaurants the last four years … now that's just crazy," Keefer wrote on social media. "I put my entire heart and soul into the creation of Gallery and this was not an easy decision. And I commend with tears in my eyes all of the incredibly hard working mommas, I see you."