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Iconic Austin restaurant may soon serve its last brunch

Unless help comes form a future developer, Threadgill's World Headquarters will close in March 2018.

Threadgill's/Facebook

UPDATE: Since this story was originally published, Threadgill's owner Eddie Wilson confirmed to the Chronicle that he was able to negotiate a new short-term lease with land owner Moton Crockett, allowing the restaurant and music venue to stay open in its current Riverside location for a few more years.

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An Austin icon is likely to close after SXSW 2018. According to a story from the Austin Chronicle’s Kevin Curtin, Threadgill’s World Headquarters’ owner Eddie Wilson has been unable to come to a lease agreement with owner Moton Crockett for the prime Riverside property, and the lot is now for sale. Threadgill's North Lamar location is secure.

It’s a bit of an understatement to say that Threadgill’s — and Wilson’s previous business, Armadillo World Headquarters — is a part of Austin’s DNA. Bootlegger Kenneth Threadgill’s Gulf filling station on North Lamar was one of the original joints to bridge the divide between the good ol' boys and the fledgling Austin counter culture. That mantle was assumed by Armadillo, arguably the birthplace of today’s Austin music scene and the epicenter of the cosmic cowboy movement.

Wilson converted the gas station location to a Southern restaurant serving meatloaf, chicken fried steak, and catfish in 1981 after closing Armadillo World Headquarters in 1980. In 1996, he opened a second location on Riverside Drive — Threadgill’s World Headquarters — decorated with memorabilia from Armadillo’s halcyon days. It has remained a popular Austin institution ever since, packing customers in for the Sunday gospel brunch.

But, of course, Austin is a different town now. The explosive growth in Austin has made the corner of Riverside and Barton Springs a very desirable location for redevelopment in Austin's increasingly crowded city core. Wilson told the Chronicle that he understands why his landlord would want to sell and harbors no ill will, but he was hoping to keep that location open for a few more years. Now the future of Threadgill's remains cloudy unless a deal can be made to include the restaurant in any future development project.

closings

Back to the Plow

Homey Austin jam and bake shop closing and returning to farmers market

Confituras/Instagram

Confituras Little Kitchen is closing its brick-and-mortar store, but feeling optimistic about the future.

A famers market find is returning to its natural environment after six years in a brick-and-mortar location. Confituras Little Kitchen, which specializes in locally sourced preserves, is closing its jam and biscuit shop after service on Sunday, December 22. However, it will continue selling goods at the Barton Creek Farmers Market and via retailers.

Confituras announced the change in a newsletter to its customers in December. The letter called the news "bittersweet."

"Although the brick and mortar will no longer be, the good news is that this will be a fresh new start for us – we are bursting with energy and creativity at the thought of being back out in the community where it all started for confituras," it said.

The kitchen is closing because the lease is up, and the team has decided to "give up the chase." The newsletter emphasized the ups-and-downs of business over the past several years — ones that were chaotic for just about any business, let alone a small, fairly niche food operation.

"So much has happened since we decided to open a brick + mortar – a wonderful kickstarter fundraiser, THE PANDEMIC, the AFTER-EFFECTS OF THE PANDEMIC, and an ever growing city," the letter says. "We tried so very hard but never really got our footing. We know we are not alone, many small business are in the same boat. We renewed our lease during the pandemic because we were hopeful we could make it work - the changing times had other ideas."

Finally, it shared how customers could keep enjoying Confituras creations:

The Barton Creek Farmers Market is open at 2901 S. Capital of Texas Hwy. every Saturday from 9 am to 1 pm.
A list on confituras.net compiles retailers including Royal Blue Grocery, Farmhouse Delivery, and Antonelli's Cheese Shop.
Jam share and Table22 subscription customers will have more instructions coming soon about picking up their goods in January at the same space, 2129 Goodrich Ave.
Customers may also reach out to inquire about continuing to order meals directly.

The kitchen also hosted frequent events and workshops, but the letter did not address this aspect of the business.

A shorter message shared on Instagram has inspired 63 comments so far, five days later. Customers eulogized the shop for its community feel and providing a sense of regularity during the height of the pandemic thanks to weekend pick-ups.