AUSTIN, Texas — The operators of a longtime honky tonk Giddy Ups on Menchaca Road in South Austin say their lease is up in September and the land owner plans to turn the location into something else.
Giddy Ups' owner Michael Morgan said their slogan, “Good times, good beer is what you’ll find here," has become genuine to people. He said people call the bar home.
“A dive bar, as [it's] described as sometimes,” Morgan said. “It's just been a great place for people to come and unwind after work, you know?”
Morgan said he grew up there. His mother started bartending at Giddy Ups in 1996 and then bought the business in 2000.
“For a long time, it’d be pool tables and shuffleboards. And then my mom eventually introduced the music and really built that to be something special that I think will be sad to lose,” Morgan said.
Morgan said there is live music at Giddy Ups every night. That's what first drew in Michael Gillum.
“Country, blues, rock – all that happens on that little tiny stage right there. And I'm talking some of the greatest artists in this city, performing here,” Gillum said.
Gillum said he's been coming to Giddy Ups almost every day for the last eight years and that he stays for the people. Morgan said that’s what makes it like home to many. He said generations of people continue to come through their doors on any given day.
On Sunday, Morgan announced Giddy Ups' doors will close sometime in September. He said the business had been on a month-to-month lease until his mother passed away last October.
“I tried negotiating with the landowner for an extended lease and to go forward. I think he already had some different plans in mind,” Morgan said.
Morgan said Giddy Ups' staff doesn't want to leave the space and that they're on the hunt for a new venue. But if they can't find one, they might not be able to reopen.
“It doesn't make a lot of sense for him [the land owner] to put another bar here when there's already an established, successful bar that is in no way financially in trouble,” Morgan said. "We would like to find something, but it would have to work financially, as well as have a certain vibe because this building is so old. It's tough to recreate."
Morgan said he doesn’t want his mom’s legacy to be forgotten. However, customers like Gillum say they have hope.
‘We're all very, very sad. But, you know, change is good, and I think they'll make it to something even better,” Gillum said.
Morgan said Giddy Ups will have a goodbye party in early August. They want people to know that they're still open in the meantime and have live music every night.