Beloved bar closures in Portland continue to mount
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Bradley Stephens, the co-owner of since-shuttered Cereus, wants more protections for small businesses. Photos: Courtesy of Bradley Thomas Stephens
Several recent bar closures in Portland are highlighting the newer kind of challenges small business owners are facing post-COVID — from the high cost of goods to a significant change in nightlife culture.
Why it matters: Restaurant and bar closures are not new. But after a series of beloved spaces called it quits last month, the city's bar scene was left with several big holes in its heart.
- "It really comes down to the money," Meg Cotner, the editor of Bridgetown Bites, told Axios. "The pandemic really destabilized the industry a lot."
Context: While the pandemic was responsible for hundreds of small business closures across the state, the industry seemed to rebound shortly after lockdowns were lifted and people were eager to eat and drink outside of their homes again.
- For example: The number of new restaurant listings rose 16% last year compared with 2019, according to Yelp.
Yes, but: Last month, five cocktail bar-restaurants — Cereus, Zula, Sissy Bar, Bar Asha and XO Bar — all announced closures that cited economic or financial challenges due to the pandemic's lingering impact.
- Plus: All five opened between 2022 and 2023.
State of play: Not only have business operating costs and food prices become higher in recent years, but "people that went out twice a week before go out twice a month now," Bradley Stephens, the co-owner of since-shuttered Cereus, told Axios.
- Planning for that inconsistency is impossible, he said, adding that small businesses without silent investors or legacy status have struggled to keep up with inflation and changing consumer habits.
- When the price of brisket tripled, Stephens took beef empanadas — the most popular item on the bar's menu — out of rotation. "I couldn't charge people $15 for a single empanada and have a conscience."
The intrigue: Last winter's ice storm that shuttered businesses for weeks was also a driving force in Cereus' closure. When Stephens and his business partner learned they were denied a small business loan in early October, that was the final straw.
- "We didn't have several years to stack up a bank account to rest on for a bad season."
The bottom line: In order to maintain its status as a top-tier food and beverage mecca, Stephens said Portland's leaders need to lean in and help, whether that be with protections or low-interest loans.
- "Or else there's going to be a lot of vacant spaces," he said. "I'm just concerned how that will affect each neighborhood."