Longtime wharf mainstays get booted to go upscale and corporate, rent is too high, plus Monterey has “other plans” for the minuscule space she rents.
Baila Berks, who goes by “Gypsy” of Gypsy Arts Studio, will spend her last day on Thursday perched in her chair, under her umbrella and in front of her easel at the end of Wharf 1 near Princess Monterey Whale Watching.
That’s because, according to Berks, she can no longer afford the rent she pays for the 60 square feet she inhabits outside on the wharf that she also says the city has other plans for.
“Over the years, people come back time and time again and tell me how much they look forward to getting their sketch done,” said Berks. “People will be very disappointed if there’s no longer a sketch artist – especially after it was here so long.”