Bryan Street Tavern is the latest business to close up shop at the Sylvan Thirty shopping center in West Dallas.
Despite opening just 10 years ago, Sylvan Thirty has seen numerous businesses exit the complex. Bryan Street Tavern, which opened in December 2019, marks the fifth retailer to shut its doors.
Joe Hinkson and Adam Navan, the co-owners of what some had ranked among the best sports bars in Dallas, decided to close their establishment for good on November 2. The partners say a lack of foot traffic and unsustainable operating conditions drove their decision. They were unable to keep up with rental payments and found themselves tens of thousands of dollars in debt.
“The fact we got to this point is very disappointing and very expensive,” said Hinkson, per WFAA.
“Just minutes west of downtown Dallas, Sylvan | Thirty is a retail complex dedicated to Multi Mobility,” reads a description of the shopping center on its Facebook page.
A statement from the Sylvan Avenue Tavern on social media did not mince words when the departure was announced.
“It’s with a heavy heart we made the decision to close our doors. The complex is dying and we’ve lost four other businesses prior to us making our decision to close. And now we’ve become the fifth one to leave,” read the November 4 post. “We’ve enjoyed our time there, but without support from the property owners we had call it a day. A giant thank you goes out to everyone who supported us through our run!! Until we meet again……”
The complex is now owned by Dallas-based Crow Holdings Capital, a real estate investment fund with $33 billion in assets under management.
At the outset, Sylvan Thirty was seen as an innovative development in the neighborhood, but Navan and Hinkson say its prospects did not pan out.
“Some of those buildings even across the street are vacant… They’re new, they look nice, but empty,” explained Navan.
“Obviously, we’re not a chain, we’re not big money, but we like what we do… It was just a bad situation,” he said.