Photo by Howard Owens
After being established as a downtown staple for all things beauty for the last two decades, The Spa At Artemis has apparently closed up shop under its latest company owner Marian Pautler (Keating).
Rumors began circulating Thursday about the salon’s closure, and The Batavian reached out to find that no one was at the site during operating hours, and the business number’s voicemail box was full. Its social media site only had a “no content” message online.
Paul Marchese, landlord for the business at 206 E. Main St., Batavia, said that “as far we know, it is closed.”
“It’s truly a sad loss for what I would consider a thriving downtown business,” he said. “We were simply the landlord for the space. We tried to work everything out with her. I have not heard anything from the owner — I have texted her several times, and the last time was March 9.”
Keating left, if that's the case, in the middle of her lease, he said. Efforts to reach Keating have been unsuccessful. A phone number listed to Pautler Keating of Caledonia had a full voicemail box and no message could be left for her to request comment.
The good news is that he hopes to have someone new in there operating a similar business by April 1. However, since it will be a new company, that may be bad news for anyone with a gift certificate from Artemis.
Keating, then under the name Pautler, purchased the spa in June 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic had just begun and many businesses had been forced to close or drastically reduce hours and services.
A Genesee CARES Recovery grant program helped out with a $65,000 grant in 2022, which she said at the time would enable her to grow the full-service salon.
“I have quite a big vision for what I want this business to turn into, and this is going to help propel us in that direction,” she said to The Batavian in April 2022.
She planned to make a lot of cosmetic updates, replace equipment, and bring on some new staff members, she said.
Eligibility for the grant was the addition of one full-time equivalent job for up to $25,000, two for up to $50,000, and three for up to $75,000.
