A Tear in My Kombucha
So long, Charlie: Beloved East Side bar looks for new home
It will be hard to cheer yourself up after this bit of news. The East Side is about to get a little less special, friendly and alternative. Today on the club's Facebook page, the owners of fabulous East Sixth Street dive bar Cheer Up Charlie’s announced that its days are numbered at its current home.
While there is no official word as to where exactly the alt dive bar is heading, it does sound as if the new location may move west of I-35, with the post saying, “No matter where we end up, we will take the spirit of the Eastside with us.”
In a love letter to their devoted customers, Cheer Up Charlie’s owners revealed that the property on which the club sits had been sold to new owners, and the bar has been given notice that its current lease will be terminated on January 15. Bummer.
The hunt is now on for a new space to call home, but it appears that no matter where it is, the epicenter of LGBTQ fun in East Austin will still be your number-one spot to get pints of Kombucha and PBR.
“When we find our new spot we will continue to play host to the same types of events, free live music shows and all kinds of other fun stuff!” writes the Cheer Up's staff. “We are deeply saddened that it’s ending for us at 1104 East 6th St. but nothing is dying. Our rhythm may be disrupted for awhile, but we will keep on dancin’!”
While there is no official word as to where the alt dive bar is heading, it does sound as if the new location might move west of I-35, with the post noting, “No matter where we end up, we will take the spirit of the Eastside with us.” Time to get an office pool going about Cheer Up’s new home.
The message is a positive one for the future, and, with a devoted base of fans, it should hopefully translate to success no matter where the club ends up. This also provides a great excuse to celebrate the old homestead over the next month. The staff explicitly asks that you don’t think of it as a “eulogy.”
So head over this month, raise a glass and toast to the past three years of Cheer Up Charlie’s — and many more years of cheerful fun with friends.