Paintings, watercolours and old photographs line the walls and corridors of the Dowling St studio - and some have been waiting to be picked up for more than 25 years.
Co-owner Ludmila Sakowski said attempts had been made to contact the owners since she took over the business in 1990, but many had moved, leaving no contact details.
The art-restoration business would close on November 10 so she could move to Christchurch where her husband and studio co-owner, Edward Sakowski, worked as a painting conservator at the Christchurch City Art Gallery, Mrs Sakowski said.
While most of the artworks had little or no market worth, one or two had become quite valuable since they had been dropped off, she said.
Soon after she opened the business, a piece by Jeffrey Harris, who was Frances Hodgkins Fellow in 1977, was brought in. It remained unclaimed for 15 years and, when finally picked up, it had increased in value from "basically nothing" to more than $20,000.
"The art stored here at the moment does not have a high market value - more historic and sentimental value."
Mrs Sakowski said she was sad to be leaving Dunedin, but she needed to go to Christchurch because "home is where the heart is". She urged anyone who had dropped off art for restoration in the past 25 years to pick it up from the business above the Palms Restaurant in Dowling St.
"I don't know what will happen if people don't come and pick them up. I may have to take them with me - but it's not an option I would like to choose," she said.
