Popular East Austin bar East Side Showroom shocked and saddened patrons last week when they announced that they would be closing their doors on Facebook. However, it seems there was a little more to that announcement that they originally let on, and earlier today East Side Showroom let their patrons know that 1100 East Sixth Street would not stay closed for long.
It turns out that owners Trudy and Mickie Spencer’s motivations for closing ESS were a little less Ginger Rogers/let’s call the whole thing off and more Marilyn Monroe/the seven year itch.
From their Facebook post announcing the new project:
As seven year itches tend to ignite in us a need to embark on change, we hope you will join us in a new era of more unforgettable memories, love stories, and friendships.
After thanking customers for seven years of patronage, they then go on to announce that the new project will be open later this summer: “Before Summer’s end, we will be honored to host you again at the new AH SING DEN at 1100 East 6th Street.”
As CultureMap reports, Ah Sing Den is the name of an infamous London opium den that made its way into the Charles Dickens book The Mystery of Edwin Drood. This tidbit, along with the quote used to announce the new locale, leads CultureMap to speculate that this could be a Dickensian themed bar. If that’s the case, we’re looking forward to plenty of “Please, Sir, I want some more” jokes in their bartenders’ future.
Scrolling back through their Facebook timeline, it’s clear that the bar was having a bit of fun pulling the legs of their customers. There were hints that their closing announcement wasn’t really the end, all teased out on title cards from black and white movies (below). Sunday, July 24 marks the last days of East Side Showroom as we currently know it, so customers are invited out for one last shindig.
Featured photo courtesy of East Side Showroom’s Facebook page
