After Eastover gallery was abruptly evicted, Charlotte artists remain in limbo
One of Charlotte’s oldest art galleries, Coffey & Thompson Art Gallery & Framing, abruptly closed in September and about 30 artists still remain in the dark on how and when they could get their artwork back.
The Eastover gallery was evicted and doors locked Sept. 16 after failing to pay rent for over a year at 811 Providence Road, according to a lawsuit filed by the landlord in Mecklenburg County court.
Charlotte artist Eileen Covington found out about the eviction just last month after a lawyer reached out by email to the artists. She has about 10 paintings in the gallery and wants them back. “It’s kind of in limbo. I don’t really know where things stand right now.”
The gallery is part of a collective space within Galleries at 811, which was created five years by Coffey & Thompson in partnership with home furnishings and gift store Magnolia Emporium, CharlotteFive previously reported.
Adam Cooley, a Durham artist, said he’s out nearly $38,000 worth of his artwork that was consigned to Coffey & Thompson. Like the other artists in the gallery, Cooley said he is facing “lost income, missing inventory and legal uncertainty” just before the crucial holiday sales season.
“The main issue now and for other artists is we don’t know what is in the gallery,” Cooley said.
Coffey & Thompson was founded in 1946 by Paul Thompson, and sold to Lauri Dewhurst-Summers in 2015, according to the gallery website. She also owns lighting company Lady B. Good and Design 360, according to her LinkedIn profile.
The gallery commissioned pieces from portraits, sculptures and paintings to etching and limited edition prints by artists, according to the gallery website.
The phone number to Coffey & Thompson gallery no longer works. Dewhurst-Summers could not be reached for comment.
Coffey & Thompson failed to pay rent, records show
A judgment was issued in Mecklenburg County Court Aug. 14 evicting Dewhurst Properties, LLC, at 811 Providence Road, records show. Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Department locked the doors on Sept. 16. The building is near the intersection of Providence and Queens Road south of uptown.
Dewhurst Properties failed to pay its $14,196 monthly rent since January 2024, according to the complaint filed July 18, and stayed past its lease expiration in December 2024. Total amount past due is $383,482, according to court documents.
The plaintiff in the case is Wells Fargo as trustee for building owners Lucile J. Brown Trust and Joy Brown Pinson, documents show. Attorneys with Moore & Van Allen represent the plaintiffs.
What about the Charlotte artists’ work?
Moore & Van Allen attorney Jonathan Gilmartin assured the artists, including Cooley, that the building owners “have every intention to allow you to collect your artwork, but there’s a process we have to follow,” according to emails between Cooley and Gilmartin that Cooley shared with The Charlotte Observer.
However, the process has been significantly delayed. “We also cannot get Summers to respond to us or cooperate,” Gilmartin said in the emails.
He estimated that over 70 people want access to the property to retrieve items, including gallery artists, framing and restoration customers, plus other tenants.
Cooley learned of the gallery’s abrupt closing from another artist in October. He has not heard from Summers. After repeated, unsuccessful requests for access to the building, Cooley said he would file a police report declaring his artwork stolen. “I wouldn’t classify your artwork stolen,” Gilmartin responded.
On Nov. 25, he confirmed that the plaintiff “has not removed, sold, or otherwise permitted anyone to remove any of your paintings from the property since the lockout.” Gilmartin noted that they are restricting access to a few people at a time to protect artwork from theft or damage.
In the latest correspondence on Wednesday, Dec. 10, Gilmartin told Cooley that “we will be able to grant you access during the next available window, and that we will let you know the date for that as far as in advance as we can...we genuinely are doing the best we can to treat the artists and their artwork with respect as we navigate it.”
Gilmartin could not be reached for comment Thursday.
The gallery’s partner, Magnolia Emporium, is temporarily closed and looking for a new home, according to its website. The gallery has been silent on social media since September.
This story was originally published December 12, 2025 at 5:14 AM.
