BY ISAIAH FRIZZELL
Heavy news: the Sun Valley Brewery (SVB) is closing its doors on Friday, May 30th.
Beloved in the social scene, the Sun Valley Brewery has offered years of excellent food, delightful staff and a social bar where, like in the show “Cheers,” you’ll always find a friend. Even if you might not know the patron sitting next to you, the vibe and clientele that Sean Flynn has attracted make for a congenial, fun and exciting group of people who love to joke and connect. This is absolute community.
Family, Friends, Community
Sun Valley Brewery is a family-run business operating since 1986. Flynn has been at the helm since 1993.
“My wife and I, Cynthia, have personally been here for 23 out of the 32 or 33 years we’ve been here, 23 of them, and her family has been a major part of it. Her brother, Derek, who passed away in September, started it, and her sister, Jeanette, came on in 2007 and has made a huge contribution. My kids have worked here, you know, grown up here. It’s a family business and (pause) it’s such a sad thing, but it’s something that has to be done.”
It must be noted that something which has been encroaching on many properties across the Valley has sunk its fangs into yet another cherished location.
Three years ago a “For Sale” sign was put in front of the establishment. Directly in front of the outdoor patio ‘beer garden” Flynn had designed. It was put up by the owner of the building with allegedly zero explanation to SVB.
“We’ve had a really good long-term lease and the owners have been good to us, but they put it on the market about three years ago and it’s created a lot of uncertainty for customers and for our business as well, as far as not knowing what’s going to happen and not wanting to put any further investment into it because it could be sold and the new owner might make other decisions.”
Are We Seeing a Trend?
“That’s been a really hard thing the last three years. It’s really progressively brought our business slower. A lot of people didn’t know what was going on, so I think that created confusion and has taken a toll on the bottom line.”
Shaky ground rattles the confidence and operational facility of a business. Will the new owner raise rent or decide to build something else? Who knows? The ‘who knows’ is what creates uncertainty. Uncertainty about a business’s very embodiment taxes, daily, the decisions the business can make. Of course COVID-19 did what it did but it was then the “For Sale” sign, a foreboding eyesore that made devoted patrons ask questions about their favorite haunt—and of course poor advertisement for new patrons —those driving by looking for a cool place to visit.
Silver Linings and Passionate Paths
Not all is doom and gloom. While the Sun Valley Brewery will close, Flynn, heavy-hearted but optimistic, is making moves for the future. They’ve known it was coming and chose to get out with new pursuits and on a smart timeline. The whole scenario is a common theme we’re seeing in real estate and while they’ll be alright, the fact that third-party factions can create this scenario for a beloved business is a sign of the times. Yet another Folgers moment for the new world era.
“We’re fine now, and we don’t want to get into debt or anything. We want to get out while we’re still ahead. Basically, get out and do it the right way instead of having to be forced to be shut down.” Flynn is calm but definitely bittersweet.
“We made the decision, nobody’s making us. The owner would have let us stay till it sells, but we don’t know when that is. We want to do it on our own terms. I mean, it could have happened any time during these past three years, and we would have just had to deal with it. We’ve had time to think about it now, and we’re, like, you know what, this is probably how we should do it before we get any further along.”
Running an establishment of this size means equipment, staff, product and cleaning, after overhead, of course. The SVB is a lovely, large, well-equipped spot, generally full of patrons. However, with the fickle and generally silent moves that realtors make, the threat of eviction makes it nearly impossible to find bearing, invest and maintain a place even as community-centered and busy as the Sun Valley Brewery has been.
Speaking in Tongues
Any chance you’ll open elsewhere?
“I think I still have that in my blood. The whole restaurant and brewery part but we haven’t decided that, and I doubt it, but you never know. You never know. At the moment, we’re not really thinking about that. We probably just want to take a break and rethink things and see what happens.”
Flynn, who was an Army interrogator and language specialist, can talk to anyone. Fluent in French, Spanish and Arabic (at least), he is moving from part to full time as a teacher and learning specialist at the Sun Valley Community School.
“That kind of helped me make the decision too, is knowing that I did have something to do. But we would have had to anyway.” Flynn remains optimistic.
“It’s kind of a relief and some sadness, too. We’ve thought about it, but not very seriously about doing it, even when things were good. Maybe we should do something different. It probably would have been a few more years before we would have done anything different. So this is kind of a little, you know, we’ve been a little more ‘pushed’ to make decisions. But still, we’re doing it on our own terms.”
In other words, they’re being smart about making the transition before going into debt. The decision made to sell the building, the silence of the entities who may be buying the building, the uncertainty, and undoubtedly, the slowing of business due to the pandemic along with a honking ‘For Sale’ sign have all contributed to a generational, family run business and community hub closing.
The final day hosts a bittersweet if unadvertised celebration. You can be sure the regulars and locals know. If you don’t know, now is a time to visit a Wood River Valley legend.
Friday, May 30th
Take your last chance to pop into a legendary community hub that served as an essential. Grab a beer, a pizza, a cocktail, a photo. This is what true community looks like.
As they push off into the new world operating system, they will be selling most of their restaurant gear. If you or someone you know is in the market for such equipment, contact Flynn and make it happen.
Bittersweet, somewhat unjust, definitely disturbing—yet smart on the Flynns, like Erol Flynn in his pirate movies, breaking a perceived fall by slicing through the sail. Godspeed and with maybe a tear. The Sun Valley Brewery closes as another era ends and the Valley metamorphosizes into its next phase.
