Southern Food and Beverage Museum closes
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SoFAB on Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard. Photo: Chelsea Brasted/Axios
The Southern Food and Beverage Museum has closed its doors for good.
Why it matters: The institution has for more than 20 years told the story of Southern food within the broader landscape of American culture, and served as a repository for its relics and memorabilia.
Driving the news: The National Food and Beverage Foundation, which oversees the museum, announced the closure late this week in a prepared statement.
- "The Board of Directors is actively developing a plan to responsibly address the artifacts and collections entrusted to the Museum through gifts and loans," according to the statement. Details on that plan weren't immediately available.
- The organization blamed the closure on financial difficulties brought on by the pandemic and hurricane damage to its building on O.C. Haley Boulevard.
The big picture: After years of operating as a pop-up, SoFAB, as the museum was commonly known, opened in its prime Central City location in 2014 as part of the historic neighborhood's revitalization.
- Despite some successful businesses along that stretch — like Cafe Reconcile and Lagniappe Bakehouse — others have struggled to stay open.