AUSTIN, Texas — Another East Austin business will soon be pushed out to make room for luxury condos, according to its owner.
On Tuesday, the owner of Outer Heaven Dance Club said the bar's landlord has declined to renew its lease, giving it six months left to operate. The lease ends in March 2025.
While Outer Heaven has only been around for a few years, its owner is a vocal supporter of preserving "old Austin" and stated on social media that the bar's impending closure is just another example of "greed" from "rich investors."
"It is ironic in a way because it's the most 'new Austin' reason that could possibly happen and an encapsulation of why I rail on about why everything will eventually be swallowed by the people with the checkbooks," the owner wrote. "And all we will be left with is the hollow shell that used to be Austin, Texas."
The owner said Outer Heaven was never a "business idea," but they instead always envisioned it as an art project "(albeit a really expensive one)." They said what they pride themselves most on is that Outer Heaven never paid for advertising – it survived purely by word-of-mouth.
"Every single person that has ever been here, has come because another actual human being, recommended it to them," the owner wrote.
The owner also said they feel invested in the bar because it's a product of their own hard work, saying they saw something special in the 80-year-old building, built and painted everything inside the bar, and took every photo on Outer Heaven's Instagram page, which has more than 12,700 followers.
The owner ended their post with a rallying cry for Outer Heaven's patrons, promising to spend the final months of the bar's time making great memories.
Commenters on the post shared their sadness that the bar is closing, calling the announcement "devastating" and "the worst news." Others shared their hopes that Outer Heaven will find a new home, with many vowing to help any way they can.
Outer Heaven isn't the only East Austin bar to recently announce a closure. The Lost Well, a punk and metal venue located on Webberville Road, announced in August that it would be closing soon, too. On Tuesday, the bar posted its October lineup, with Oct. 27 listed as its last day of operation.
