Bidding Adieu
Iconic downtown Austin music venue is going up for sale — on eBay
You can now own your very own piece of the Live Music Capital of the World for the price of ... well, that remains to be seen. The Parish, long heralded as one of the only reasons to set foot on Sixth Street, is going up for sale — on eBay.
Beginning Friday, December 1, at noon, the 5,300-square-foot space will be sold during an online auction running through Sunday, December 12. The opening bid will start at $1, but we're betting that price will tick upwards pretty fast.
The offer includes the second floor of the historic building located at 214 E. Sixth St. In addition to the 425-person capacity venue, additional amenities include in-house lighting and production capabilities, two large bars, two green rooms, a private office, in-house furniture and fixtures, and more. There is also an option to include the current TABC license.
This is the latest in a long line of strange stunts by Doug Guller, CEO of ATX Brands, the parent company that owns the Parish. You may recall that in 2012, Guller, who also owns Bikinis Sports Bar & Grill, purchased the small Hill Country town of Bankersmith and renamed it Bikinis, Texas. In January 2017, Guller announced he was selling the town for $1.5 million.
And then there was Guller's controversial 2014 appearance on CBS's Undercover Boss. During the episode, Guller fired an employee for refusing to wear a bikini top on camera, and then offered to buy another employee breast implants if she continued working for another six months.
Guller is giving no specific reason for why he's selling the Parish, saying only that it was "a hard decision to make."
"I am excited about the future and to see what change new owners can bring to both the venue and Austin’s beloved live music landscape,” Guller said in a release. Interested bidders who wish to tour the space before the auction begins can contact info@theparishaustin.com for more information.