Utah’s premier Black-owned brewery, Policy Kings, has closed its doors amid a court battle with a landlord over $49,000 in unpaid rent.
The Black- and veteran-owned brewery made the unfortunate announcement on Sept. 26, shortly after co-owner Sara Ridgel revealed the business was months behind on rent, Axios reports. The landlord, HMB Partners LLC, is seeking $49,304.67 in unpaid rent and issued an eviction notice on Sept. 10, requiring the brewery to vacate the premises within three days.
Two weeks after issuing the eviction notice, HMB Partners filed a complaint in the 3rd District Court accusing the bar of unlawful detainer for failing to comply. Court documents also stated that Policy Kings still owed the landlord nearly $50,000.
“Sad news today, after fighting, arguing, proposals, we still were not able to work it out with the landlord,” a post on their since-deleted Instagram page read. “PK is officially closed.”
Named after Chicago’s early 20th-century gambling kingpins, Policy Kings opened in Cedar City in 2018 before moving to Salt Lake City’s trendy Central Ninth neighborhood in May. Reflecting on the closure, the brewery acknowledged the challenges they anticipated when starting the business.
“When we started this journey … we knew it was a gamble,” the business wrote. “When we made the choice to relocate up to Salt Lake, we also knew it was a gamble. That is the life of every small-business owner.”
The brewery received support from The Violet Hour, an upcoming lesbian bar, which organized an online fundraiser earlier this month to help cover legal fees. Despite these efforts, Policy Kings stated in their post that while they intended to challenge their landlord in court, “we can’t stay open while we do that.”
“Thanks to the many who came and loved what we had for the time we were here,” the bar added.
RELATED CONTENT: Top 5 Blacks in Brewery
