Thread of local businesses that don't survive the coronavirus

[3adays 454]

B.D. Riley’s on 6th is done. The location in Mueller will stay open. 

[Guest Lobo]

Saw that, kind of a bummer.  Never liked Dirty Sixth but that pub was kind of a quiet respite by the Driskill and away from much of the madness.  Held a special place in my heart as I spent a Christmas Eve there alone when my fiance was out of town and I had to work ('03, I think).  A mixed family of Irish nationals and their American relatives were hold down at the big tables in the back.  They invited me over to join in song, drink, and grub.  I would still stop by there a few times a year, but I guess no more. 

For a few years there, we had a great ensemble of a few Irish pubs, most of them owned and operated by Irishmen.  Fun fact, Austin---for all its size and international exposure---only has two foreign consulates.  Mexico (Obviously) and Ireland.  Would explain why we had so many good pubs.  I'm sure there's some up at Domain or wherever, but all the old haunts downtown/CBD are gone.  Ah well, another memory of the Pandemic, I suppose.  

Whatever in the world will be left standing when all this is said and done?  

[Ignatius 4017]

On 8/9/2020 at 1:49 PM, Lobo said:

and who could forget the giant rock and naval war museum in the middle of Austin?  Plus all the German restaurants and white people/utter lack of diversity?  Oh wait...

Edited August 26, 2020 by Ignatius

[Ignatius 4017]

On 8/20/2020 at 7:34 PM, Message Board User said:

 

Man, those poor Mom and Pop cloud computing, software, social media, and home improvement stores....brings a tear to my eye....

[Storm the Field 5293]

Saw that TABC is trying to throw a bone to bars, allowing them to apply for food and beverage certificates to operate as a restaurant for up to 120 days without having a permanent kitchen. Having a food truck or third-party food vendor on site can now qualify.

[Anastasis 23458]

On 8/24/2020 at 12:40 PM, South Austin said:

I'm not going to cry over the Maudie's closure, but man do I have some great memories of my kids playing on that playground while I drank beer on the patio.

many times. 

[Anastasis 23458]

5 minutes ago, Storm the Field said:

Saw that TABC is trying to throw a bone to bars, allowing them to apply for food and beverage certificates to operate as a restaurant for up to 120 days without having a permanent kitchen. Having a food truck or third-party food vendor on site can now qualify.

f TABC

[Anastasis 23458]

On 8/26/2020 at 5:29 PM, Lobo said:

Whatever in the world will be left standing when all this is said and done?  

Chili's. 

[utee94 15805]

Actually, it's Taco Bell that won the Franchise Wars.  

Now, all restaurants are Taco Bell.

[South Austin 52448]

41 minutes ago, Anastasis said:

many times. 

Wait, why were you hanging around my kids at the Maudie's playground so often?

[Anastasis 23458]

1 minute ago, South Austin said:

Wait, why were you hanging around my kids at the Maudie's playground so often?

My boys were probably waiting for your mom to show up. 

[Anastasis 23458]

33 minutes ago, utee94 said:

Actually, it's Taco Bell that won the Franchise Wars.  

Now, all restaurants are Taco Bell.

[South Austin 52448]

7 minutes ago, Anastasis said:

My boys were probably waiting for your mom to show up. 

[4th&Five 41506]

 

[BradInATX 9208]

On 8/28/2020 at 2:35 PM, Storm the Field said:

Saw that TABC is trying to throw a bone to bars, allowing them to apply for food and beverage certificates to operate as a restaurant for up to 120 days without having a permanent kitchen. Having a food truck or third-party food vendor on site can now qualify.

Nice. This should help a lot of the breweries. Do they still have to hit 51%, though?

[Deej 76754]

Read that some bars have lowered the price of drinks and added "food" to each drink for a couple of extra bucks yet don't actually serve food. 

That should end well. 

[utee94 15805]

 

44 minutes ago, BradInATX said:

Nice. This should help a lot of the breweries. Do they still have to hit 51%, though?

Yes

39 minutes ago, Deej said:

Read that some bars have lowered the price of drinks and added "food" to each drink for a couple of extra bucks yet don't actually serve food. 

That should end well. 

Can't speak for anyone else, but Live Oak Brewing is selling "meal packs" which include 1 pint of beer for $2 and one "meal" of chips and salsa, for $3.  It's a pretty funny way to keep your "food sales" at >50% of your total sales. 

Merchandise also counts as non-beer, as well as the on-site food vendor truck (that was closed for several weeks but is now open).  And the beer-to-go sales do NOT count against their beer numbers.

All of that is still just a drop in the bucket though.  If y'all like your local breweries, hit them up as much as you can.  Many (possibly most) of them won't make it past the end of the year under these conditions.

 

 

 

Edited August 31, 2020 by utee94

[Deej 76754]

I'm talking about places adding a food charge to each drink without serving any type of food. 

[Guest Lobo]

This bar workaround is insane.  Further proof that the TABC is insane.  There are bars who's ability to remain open are literally hinging on how many t-shirts and koozies they can sell right now.  'Cause that's what the people want during a pandemic, shitty merch.  All these workarounds and I still can't buy wine or beer on Sunday at 11am.  

[Updawg 2266]

Could they just sell a cracker for $6 and add a beer for free?

[atomheartbevo 89626]

1 hour ago, Lobo said:

This bar workaround is insane.  Further proof that the TABC is insane.  There are bars who's ability to remain open are literally hinging on how many t-shirts and koozies they can sell right now.  'Cause that's what the people want during a pandemic, shitty merch.  All these workarounds and I still can't buy wine or beer on Sunday at 11am.  

It's insane that TABC still exists.  Everything it does could be handled by other agencies or at different levels of government (down to county/city level).

[Guest Lobo]

For such a "limited government" state, we Texans sure do love us some redundant agencies and systems.  Fucking embarrassing.  

[utee94 15805]

TABC is beyond useless because they actively make things worse in just about every case.

Edited September 1, 2020 by utee94

[LebongJames 1791]

Won’t say the name because they could probably  get fucked.

Charging $3 for beer and $3.50 for chips. I drank 4 beers got 1 order of chips.

 

[Larry T. Spider 1746]

3 hours ago, atomheartbevo said:

It's insane that TABC still exists.  Everything it does could be handled by other agencies or at different levels of government (down to county/city level).

My dad worked for dps forever. The lege tried to merge them at one point and dps basically told them that the clowns were unwanted and that they had no interest in managing them. 

[Radical Larry 28540]

[safe sex 11696]

Crushing. 

[atomheartbevo 89626]

Where's Matthew McConaughey when you need him?

[Samson's Wig 3191]

That sucks. It's also amazing they've lasted this long, pandemic or no.

[Redpuma 146]

6 minutes ago, Samson's Wig said:

That sucks. It's also amazing they've lasted this long, pandemic or no.

1234

I seem to walk in every few years for fun. Amazing they didn't close a decade+ ago.

[bolverk 29653]

10 minutes ago, Samson's Wig said:

That sucks. It's also amazing they've lasted this long, pandemic or no.

Vulcan Video went under in April too.

[Samson's Wig 3191]

2 minutes ago, bolverk said:

Vulcan Video went under in April too.

I can't decide if I feel sad, or just old.

[BradInATX 9208]

We went to that Vulcan location they had on Ben White a few times. My last rental there was Hands on a Hardbody, which is pretty appropriate. Sucks. Are there any independent video stores left?

[bolverk 29653]

11 minutes ago, BradInATX said:

We went to that Vulcan location they had on Ben White a few times. My last rental there was Hands on a Hardbody, which is pretty appropriate. Sucks. Are there any independent video stores left?

Vulcan and I Love were the last two in Austin that I'm aware of. Although their Ben White location was actually closer to me, I still preferred their older one on Elizabeth since it was right next to my daughter's school. On the weekends I had her, we'd always stop by every Friday night to pick out 2-3 movies with me offsetting her contemporary choices with stuff that I considered a classic that she should see for her own cultural edification.

Shit's just sad, man, but I'm glad she still has a great interest in movies and is looking for coursework that she could apply to the editing/graphics side of film production.

[Guest Lobo]

I probably crossed paths with you there at that Vulcan.  I was a regular for a few years on Friday nights before I finally gave into streaming.  Wife and I would often get drinks at South Congress Cafe bar and then head over there for her to roll her eyes at me attempting to be cinematically sophisticated as I walked out with "Lock Stock and Four Stolen Hooves" because I wanted to know Guy Ritchie before he sold out. 

I guess we're down to Waterloo Records and Antone's Records, and that's about it in the independent A/V space.  I know some vinyl boutiques have popped up here and there, and I hope they last, but it's not looking good for any of them.  

[bolverk 29653]

1 minute ago, Lobo said:

I probably crossed paths with you there at that Vulcan.  I was a regular for a few years on Friday nights before I finally gave into streaming.  Wife and I would often get drinks at South Congress Cafe bar and then head over there for her to roll her eyes at me attempting to be cinematically sophisticated as I walked out with "Lock Stock and Four Stolen Hooves" because I wanted to know Guy Ritchie before he sold out. 

I guess we're down to Waterloo Records and Antone's Records, and that's about it in the independent A/V space.  I know some vinyl boutiques have popped up here and there, and I hope they last, but it's not looking good for any of them.  

Sounds like it. Once they moved (even though it was closer to the house), it became less convenient/visible as it was no longer on our typical path so it interrupted our routine. The real sick part of it was that they were booted out of that building so it could be torn down and replaced by some boutique hotel that never materialized. Now it's just an overgrown vacant lot.

What a bummer...

[BradInATX 9208]

42 minutes ago, bolverk said:

Sounds like it. Once they moved (even though it was closer to the house), it became less convenient/visible as it was no longer on our typical path so it interrupted our routine. The real sick part of it was that they were booted out of that building so it could be torn down and replaced by some boutique hotel that never materialized. Now it's just an overgrown vacant lot.

What a bummer...

The Ben White location did feel a bit weird having grown up with it in the original location. But the wife and I had some nice date nights-in getting a couple of movies from there and hitting Live Oak Market for some movie snacks and beers. Really blows that Covid is accelerating the death of old Austin, but it is what it is.

[Guest Lobo]

You can still hit up Live Oak Market for snacks and beers and the guys at the tent city across the street will rent you a curiously varied assortment of VHS tapes.  A stat for another time/thread, but it's crazy to me that we'll spend $60mm this year on 3,000 homeless people this year in Austin and we'll spend $60,000 on assisting the 20 or so independent record and video stores through the pandemic.  Seems reasonable.  

Anyway, was heading to Shoal Creek Saloon yesterday on West 12th from downtown to Lamar.  Huge bummer that everything between West Avenue and Lamar on the south side of the street was completely abandoned, boarded up, and graffiti tagged all the way thru, save for one gallery.  It was AIA offices, galleries, Word of Mouth commissary, et. al.  2+ blocks, of not the most aesthetically stunning buildings, but functional enough and kind of a callback to that part of old west end.  Just looked like fucking Damascus.  Sad to see.  None of that's coming back before the end of the decade at current market rates.  What a pisser.  So much of North Lamar from the river to 32nd looks like ass now in terms of buildings.  At least the Pease Park beautification project is rolling forward.  Happy to be a part of that.  

[bolverk 29653]

30 minutes ago, Lobo said:

You can still hit up Live Oak Market for snacks and beers and the guys at the tent city across the street will rent you a curiously varied assortment of VHS tapes.  A stat for another time/thread, but it's crazy to me that we'll spend $60mm this year on 3,000 homeless people this year in Austin and we'll spend $60,000 on assisting the 20 or so independent record and video stores through the pandemic.  Seems reasonable.  

Anyway, was heading to Shoal Creek Saloon yesterday on West 12th from downtown to Lamar.  Huge bummer that everything between West Avenue and Lamar on the south side of the street was completely abandoned, boarded up, and graffiti tagged all the way thru, save for one gallery.  It was AIA offices, galleries, Word of Mouth commissary, et. al.  2+ blocks, of not the most aesthetically stunning buildings, but functional enough and kind of a callback to that part of old west end.  Just looked like fucking Damascus.  Sad to see.  None of that's coming back before the end of the decade at current market rates.  What a pisser.  So much of North Lamar from the river to 32nd looks like ass now in terms of buildings.  At least the Pease Park beautification project is rolling forward.  Happy to be a part of that.  

If you're talking about that old "shopping center" for lack of a better term across from the ACC garage, it's being redeveloped which probably explains its derelict state.

https://austin.towers.net/micro-apartments-headed-for-west-12th-streets-unofficial-skateboard-district/

 

[Guest Lobo]

I was aware of that little strip center, but looks like both plots flanking it are also dilapidated.  But I'm sure something good will eventually come of it.  Just seems like an f'd up corner of Central Austin with all the other closed businesses from Austin Java down to 24 Diner (and points in between), plus West 12th, West 10th, et. al.  They're too good of spots to stay brownfield, but just part of a broader narrative.  Anywhoodles...Austin presses on.  I don't want to my next property tax bill, but it presses on.  I can't imagine how shitty it is for so much of the rest of the country though in terms of urban blight after this pandemic/recession.  

[HenryJames 66037]

4 hours ago, BradInATX said:

Are there any independent video stores left?

 

[BradInATX 9208]

1 minute ago, HenryJames said:

 

Porn will keep the industry afloat. The answer is always porn.

[HenryJames 66037]

[Rougarou 594]

Just saw Oat Willie's is still kicking!

[jimmyjazz 45887]

Seems to me that The Triangle shouldn't be playing hardball with their tenants.  Last time I checked, there were a few prime spots available and no apparent takers.

[Anastasis 23458]

43 minutes ago, Rougarou said:

Just saw Oat Willie's is still kicking!

Bought my first pinch hitter there. And may have lifted a copy of the anarchists cookbook. Still have the pinch hitter. 

[atomheartbevo 89626]

20 minutes ago, jimmyjazz said:

Seems to me that The Triangle shouldn't be playing hardball with their tenants.  Last time I checked, there were a few prime spots available and no apparent takers.

Yeah, we are seeing plenty of places up and down North Lamar that are empty, and have been empty prior to covid.  

[3adays 454]

1 hour ago, Rougarou said:

Just saw Oat Willie's is still kicking!

I noticed their competitor down Burnet, Gas Pipe, closed. It’s been replaced by some kind of vape shop that is open 24/7. Now, why would an establishment like that need to be open 24/7? Am I missing something? 

[AUS-97HORN 11756]

1 hour ago, jimmyjazz said:

Seems to me that The Triangle shouldn't be playing hardball with their tenants.  Last time I checked, there were a few prime spots available and no apparent takers.

these are the same idiots that ignored Flying Saucers CONSTANT complaints about the putrid smell of sewage in their backrooom anytime it rained and then compounded their issues by letting a direct competitor,  Hopdoddy to open literally 100 feet away from them... which eventually led to the Saucer throwing in the towel in Dec 2018.  ( no replacements found for that space since)

 

oh yeah and that sewage smell?....

turned out the suite that shared the adjacent wall to the Saucer backroom, which had been unoccupied for more than year...... had had a clog in the primary sewage pipe that all the other tenants in that building were using and it resulted in raw sewage to backfill into that specific vacant property's main room- and kept backfilling until the ENTIRE vacant tenancy room had more than an entire FOOT of  backlogged raw sewage that had seeped into the suite.  2500 Sq feet of liquid shit that kept piling on top of each layer until it filled the vacant property by more than a vertical foot. 

 

when the Flying Saucer management team finally figured out that the smell was coming from the adjacent vacant suite and formally  complained, the Triangle management team  basically said it wasnt that much of an issue, and ignored their complaint....    Which, combined with several other reasons,  is why Flying Saucer finally called it quits for that location (well that and Triangle tried to raise their monthly lease by over $5,000 more a month--- when it was already over $20k/mo). 

nothing like finding out that the wall directly behind the back room was holding back thousands of pounds of raw sewage....

[hornbri 1396]

3 minutes ago, AUS-97HORN said:nothing like finding out that the wall directly behind the back room was holding back thousands of pounds of raw sewage....

Wow