After eight years in Ballard, Populuxe Brewing has announced they will be closing for good on Dec. 23.
The pandemic has taken its toll on the central Ballard brewery, and despite their best efforts, the owners can’t afford to stay open given the COVID-19 restrictions.
“We have spent each day since the original shut down in March trying to figure out how make the business work during Covid,” the brewery owners Peter Charbonnier and Amy Besunder shared on social media. “We’ve pivoted from takeout to outdoor service to indoor service back to outdoor service all while trying to balance concerns for the health and safety of our staff and customers.”
Charbonnier and Besunder say they’ve done everything they can to stay afloat, from advocating at the local and federal level for small business financial support, trying to negotiate with their landlord to modify their rent, and applying for every grant and loan application available.
“But it was not enough and unfortunately, we have run out of options and time,” they wrote.
Besunder tells My Ballard she’s noticed a “troubling trend” here in Seattle: “Fewer and fewer people are starting small businesses in Seattle in comparison to other cities,” she says. Besunder says that trend, along with the thousands of closed businesses this year, means it will be challenging for Seattle to bounce back.
Here’s more, from Populuxe:
“This is devastating but we find hope in the wonderful support we have received from all of you through the years Creating a community for beer lovers and their families in our own neighborhood was a dream and getting to serve all of you, a pleasure. As we look back over the last eight years, we smile about the family happy hours, trivia, charitable events, art openings, karaoke, live music and gatherings we shared together. It is time for the next chapter, even if we weren’t prepared to say goodbye so soon.”
The owners say that another “craft beverage” establishment will be moving into the brewery space—we’ll update when we know more.
In the meantime, Populuxe will be selling all their beer and merchandise at discounted rates: “Stop in between now and the end of the year, grab a deal or two and tip your favorite bartender one last time.”
Photo: Populuxe on Facebook
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