Bookstore and bar Afterword Tavern & Shelves, Kansas City, Mo., will close when its lease ends on January 31, KMBC 9 News reported.
Afterword Tavern & Shelves has resided at 1834 Grand Blvd. since its opening in 2018. The store is closing because the building's new landlords are not renewing the lease. The team behind Afterword hopes to reopen in a new space eventually, but there is no timetable for doing so.
"There's a lot of people that are like, no, like what are we going to do?" general manager Kate Hall told KMBC 9 News. "This is like a neighborhood staple and we feel the same.... It's hard."
In an Instagram post announcing the closure, Hall wrote, "One more personal note: this has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life, and personally, I want to also say how much I treasure every single person that has contributed to Afterword staff--present and past. You all are the real ones. And you all should be proud of what you’ve built."
Afterword will host a "Last Hoorah" event on January 24.