Amid Soaring Rents, Austin Landmark Threadgill's WHQ To Close

AUSTIN, TEXAS — Amid ever-soaring rent and increased competition, another landmark business is biting the dust. The famed Threadgill’s World Headquarters just south of downtown will close its doors after Thanksgiving, according to a published report.

Owner Eddie Wilson, the owner of Threadgill's WHQ, told the Austin Chronicle of the business woes that have led to the imminent shuttering of the iconic site at 301 W. Riverside. Wilson — something of an institution himself — told the Chronicle the decision to close was long in the making amid diminishing returns as he tried "clinging to the curb."

An attempt to negotiate a more affordable long-term contract with his landlord proved fruitless, Wilson told the publication. Members of the staff — some of whom have worked at the place for decades — have been notified of the imminent closure. Wilson said the original Threadgill's on North Lamar will remain open.

In the end, the reasonably priced chicken-fried steak staples and fan favorite Five-Vegetable Plates couldn't cut it in terms of generating enough revenue to keep the place afloat, according to the report. Wilson now pays $40,000 in monthly rent. He told the Chronicle his landlord, the Crockett family, want to hold on to the land, but their increased property values dictated the ever-higher rent for Wilson.

“It’s hard to be jolly right now, but that’s supposed to be my M.O., so ho-ho-ho,” Wilson told the Chronicle.

>>> Read the full story at Austin Chronicle

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