'We have run out of options and time': Seattle's Populuxe Brewing to permanently close this month

It's last call at a beloved neighborhood brewery in Seattle's Ballard neighborhood due to the financial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Populuxe Brewing announced last week to customers through an email newsletter that the brewery will be closing permanently on Dec. 23 after eight years in the neighborhood.

"We’ve pivoted from takeout to outdoor service to indoor service back to outdoor service all while trying to balance concerns for the health and safety of our staff and customers," wrote the owners in a social media post announcing the closure. "We’ve advocated at a local and federal level for financial help for small business grabbing the ear of every lawmaker we could get reach. We asked our landlord to listen to reason and work with us to modify our rent so we could survive to no avail. We filled out every grant and loan application available to us. But it was not enough and unfortunately, we have run out of options and time."

The closure comes amid statewide restrictions that prohibit indoor dining in an effort to stop the winter surge of COVID-19. Those restrictions are expected to last until Jan. 4, 2021 unless extended.

The nano-brewery grew a community in the neighborhood and even rose to critical acclaim among the state's beer lovers, winning Small Brewery of the Year at the 2018 Washington Beer Awards.

While over 80 bars and restaurants in the city have permanently closed since March as a result of COVID-19, this is the first brewery in the city to shutter its doors for good.

This week, the Seattle City Council announced a $5 million relief package to help support local businesses amid the pandemic, with half of the funds going to bars and restaurants and the other half going to hospitality workers.

But for Populuxe, that relief has come too late. The owners said that the space will host another craft beverage establishment, with an announcement expected in January.

"Creating a community for beer lovers and their families in our own neighborhood was a dream and getting to serve all of you, a pleasure," wrote the owners. "As we look back over the last eight years, we smile about the family happy hours, trivia, charitable events, art openings, karaoke, live music and gatherings we shared together."