Nelson’s Savoy Brewery closes

Savoy Hotel and Brewery. Rob Mangelsdorf photo

Staff at Nelson’s Savoy Brewery is stunned after owners decided to permanently close the West Kootenay craft brewery on Monday, effective immediately.

The Savoy Brewery is located in the recently renovated Savoy Hotel on Nelson’s lively Baker Street. The adjoining Falls Music Lounge and Farm Fresh Café have also been closed, however, Bloom Nightclub and the Savoy Hotel will remain open.

In a statement, owner Jimmy Bundschuh cited the competitive local market as the reason for the brewery’s closure, as it was “unable to rise above a number of challenges in the industry.”

“My passion was to restore this historic building and help put life into this end of Baker Street,” he said in the statement, released on Monday. “I am hugely proud of what my team has achieved and I know that they will go on to do great things. While I am greatly saddened by the closure of these businesses, I look forward to serving our guests in the hotel and nightclub.”

Bundschuh is also the owner of the long-running Shambhala Music Festival in nearby Salmo.

With a population of just 10,000, Nelson previously had one of the highest concentrations of craft breweries of any city in the province. Nelson Brewing Co., Torchlight Brewing Co., and Backroads Brewing Co. continue to serve the community.

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