Leeds venue Sheaf St closing with “immediate effect”
Beloved Leeds venue Sheaf St has announced that it will close its doors with “immediate effect” as it no longer has the funds to stay open.
The events space, which frequently hosts popular nightlife events in the city, was established in 2017, taking its first hit during the pandemic. Since then, Sheaf St has been unable to recover, citing the cost of living crisis as a contributing factor.
The owners also stated that gentrification of the local area has aided their unfortunate decision to close, explaining that the developments made to Aire Park have had a “devastating impact on our trade”.
In a statement posted on Instagram, the venue said: “Our industry is facing a real crisis post-pandemic, with low attendance, rising costs, increasing fees, significantly reduced spend per head, and skyrocketing utilities and stock costs, all on top of trying to recoup huge pandemic losses.”
Back in January, Sheaf St was forced to shut its cafe, which they called a “vital stream of regular income”, adding that there has been “no compensation for the disruption”.
They revealed that a decision to “shut down or double down” on the venue was considered in May, going with the latter. Yet, “the world is not on our side right now,” and the “business is no longer sustainable and cannot recover”.
Sheaf St thanked everyone who has performed, attended or worked at the venue, encouraging people to share their positive stories of their experiences.
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