Of all the gathering places being hit by pandemic restrictions, bars seem to be faring the worst. Their classic blend of mingling crowds, yelling over loud music, and alcohol have proven them to be hotbeds of transmission.
Unfortunately, not every bar can easily swap to a limited-seating restaurant experience and they’re starting to feel the pinch as this winter wave causes more lockdowns.
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The Swan Dive bar in Toronto, Canada was doing okay until recently.
The Canadian government’s economic relief measures were helping them keep the doors open while they pivoted to a “bottle shop and hotdogs” takeout joint to keep the lights on.
Unfortunately, the second wave has hit the Toronto region particularly hard and as the Ontario government decreed the city would go into full lockdown again , owner Abra Shiner realized that the current situation couldn’t continue.
The bar just wasn’t able to make enough selling hot dogs and bottles of beer to make up for the operating costs.
The joint was doomed to “hibernation” for the winter, but even with the new extended government subsidy for small businesses, they were still a few thousand dollars short on their rent for the winter.
A friend offered to auction off some art, but Shiner realized that the bar had one thing it could still sell: its entire stock.
The back room held entire unopened cases of the 35 craft beers the bar regularly keeps available, so they decided to try to sell it all in a weekend.
Their post went up and was quickly shared beyond even the Greater Toronto Area.
By the end of the weekend, the bar closed its doors, but with the comfort of knowing that they can pay the rent until March.
Shiner told CTV News that about 25 percent of the beer went to regular customers, but there were plenty of new faces too. Some old friends even drove into town to help out by buying some brews.
“I am so grateful to all the people who came out to buy up some of our stockpile, to all the people who shared our posts, and to all the amazing, kind, supportive people in our community. It’s bittersweet [because] I love my bar and my bar family… but I know it’s all we can do to stay open in the long run and it’s safer for everyone.”
h/t: CTV News
