Originally founded by William “Bill” and Cynthia Weirick as a hub for studios and galleries, Sugar Building long served as the heart of Monroe’s Art Crawl. That creative legacy entered a new chapter over the last year under their daughter and son-in-law, Kate Warner and Keny Smith, who transformed it into a vibrant center for music lovers. This deep history is what makes the current rift notable; as local organization North Delta Ramble stated, the Art Crawl “would never have existed” without Weirick offering his building as its hub.
Why, then, would this long-standing partnership end so abruptly with Tracks Music Studio?
“The people who previously rented the spot were affiliated with the Crawl,” Art Crawl board member and The Good Daze owner Harley Arendsen said. “When Tracks came, they booted it out and established their own business. That put a bad taste in everyone’s mouth, especially when [Smith] came in hot and heavy by yelling at people in the street. When someone comes in like that, you don’t really want to work with them.”
While Arendsen characterized Tracks’ recent actions as an act of revolt, the building’s manager Weirick offered a different story, centered on necessary maintenance.
“[I] just want to make it very clear that painting was my decision, and my decision alone as a long-overdue maintenance matter,” Weirick said in a Facebook comment. “[The] concrete was deteriorating due to weather exposure from an aging paint coat. This will continue over the entire building. Anything painted on an exterior building surface is inherently transitory when the inevitable recoat becomes necessary.”
Tracks Music Shop not only echoed Weirick’s statement in a post on its profile but also provided insight into the wall’s future. It explained that the painting started on that section because the entire building is being painted white, and an initial coat of Kilz was needed to block the old colors. It also confirmed that new murals will replace the old ones, with artists already commissioned by the building owners.
However, the situation has escalated. The shop concluded its statement by expressing concern for the new artists’ safety, citing “mob mentality, bullying and doxxing” they allege began with Arendsen and her customers.
“We do not at all ever want to join anyone’s ‘clique,’” the post said. “We’ve experienced enough hatred now to know we are better off doing our own thing here.”
When approached for a direct statement for this story, Tracks Music Shop did not return a call.
