Sage Moon Gallery setting at Downtown Mall location

Sage Moon Gallery will close down Dec. 15, ending a five-year run as the Downtown Mall’s largest art gallery and a popular venue for Charlottesville’s myriad cultural and holiday events.

“We can no longer afford to stay in this location,” said Morgan MacKenzie-Perkins, the gallery’s director and partner. “We won’t be able to stay in this space, which is breaking our hearts. It’s the economy.”

City officials lamented the impending loss of the two-floor, 8,200-square-foot gallery, which is located at 420 E. Main St.

“It’s going to be a loss,” said Charlottesville spokesman Ric Barrick. “Anytime you can have an event surrounded by beautiful artwork, that’s going to be a win-win. It’s unfortunate.”

The gallery’s final event kicked off Thursday, with the unveiling of the fifth annual Winter Wonderland and gingerbread house competition, as well as the launch of ticket sales for Charlottesville’s 27th annual First Night Virginia celebration, a family-oriented New Year’s Eve event.

While Sage Moon is shuttering its current location, the gallery’s owners hope to find a new — and smaller — location elsewhere on the Downtown Mall. In the meantime, the gallery will exhibit some of its artwork at Siips Wine and Champagne Bar on the Downtown Mall and at the Bank of America at Barracks Road Shopping Center.

“I’m optimistic,” MacKenzie-Perkins said. “I want to stay on the mall if we possibly can.”

MacKenzie-Perkins added the gallery will lose some of its artists, but said she expects to keep most of its best-selling artists. The gallery’s Web site also will be improved, she said, as the gallery plans to continue selling artwork over the Internet.

With the closing of Sage Moon Gallery, several major events will have to find alternative venues. The gallery had been scheduled to host parts of First Night Virginia, the International Food and Wine Festival in January, the Festival of the Book in March and the Festival of the Photograph in June. “I don’t think we’ve worked out replacements for all these events yet,” Barrick said.

The free Winter Wonder-land event at Sage Moon Gallery continues today, Saturday and Sunday. The Downtown Business Asso-ciation of Charlottesville is sponsoring the event.

Admission buttons for the First Night Virginia event cost $15 for adults in advance and $8 for children ages 4 to 12. A family pack of two adult buttons and two children’s buttons costs $40.

Buttons can be bought online at http://www.firstnightvirginia.musictoday.com or in-person at Blue Ridge Mountain Sports, Dippin’ Dots, Eco Dry Cleaners, F-Stop Photo Studios, Plan 9, the Paramount Theater, Timberlake’s, Sidetracks, the UPS Store in Forest Lakes and Volvo of Charlottesville. The family packs are only available at the Paramount, Plan 9, Hobby Town USA and First Night headquarters.

The First Night Virginia celebration will feature a BMX bike show at the Char-lottesville Pavilion, singer-songwriter Robbin Thompson, hypnotist James Munsey, the Chickenhead Blues Band and more. For more information, call 975-8269.