A much-loved town centre taphouse has announced its impending closure due to “unviable” financial circumstances.
The Town Owl Taphouse, which sits halfway up the high street and specialises in craft keg from Gloucestershire, took to social media this week to inform customers that it would close at the end of March.
Business owners Ceilia and Adam Pilmer blamed rising bills, rent, alcohol duty and business rates on their decision, and said: “Sadly, like so many other hospitality businesses, it is no longer financially viable for us to continue. Over the last six months, the cost of living crisis has hit our business hard, and we have been much quieter than the previous two years. With rising utility bills, increased rent, alcohol duty and business rates, it has simply become too much for our small business to sustain.
“If anyone is interested in taking on Town Owl Taphouse, please feel free to get in touch -we would love to see it continue in some form.”
They plan to mark the end with a “Drink the Bar Dry” weekend on Saturday, March 28, where they will offer discounted drinks.
Luke Honeychurch, who runs The Hog at Horsley and goes by “The Grumpy Landlord” on Facebook, said “this is the worst news! I’m so sorry to be reading this!”
Earlier this year, Honeychurch set up the Gloucestershire-based Independent Pub Alliance (IPA), a coalition of independent publicans, hospitality workers, researchers and supporters pushing for evidence-based public policy to support community pubs and small brewers.
In their founding statement, the IPA said: “Sameness and scale may suit balance sheets, but they hollow out community life. Once living pub culture is destroyed, it can’t be rebuilt.”
Colin Watts, a customer of the taphouse, said: “I always hoped this would be a long-term and prosperous venture.
“Ultimately, the High Street and the people of Stroud will be poorer as a result.”
The taphouse was opened in September 2023 as a Bring Your Own food venue with 8 taps that rotated through ales from local, sustainable breweries, on the site of the old Socialite bar.
