NAPA VALLEY (CelebrityAccess) — City Winery announced that they will be shuttering their Napa venue after December 31st.
The company outlined their plans to close the venue in a post on their website, noting that all existing events until the end of the year would take place as planned.
The company cited the seasonal nature of tourism and the lack of infrastructure in the Napa Valley region as a key factor in their decision to close.
"We believe in 3 to 5 years, with the much discussed new hotels, fix of the core of downtown, and development of the surrounding infrastructure for more parking and improvements in mass transit operation, Napa will be on it’s way to support a 365-day venue like City Winery. Unlike our friends the Uptown Theatre who only operate a handful of shows per month, or the annual events Bottlerock or Taste, City Winery can only survive in an area that sees business year round. Cultural centers such as ours, or Copia, The Lincoln Theatre, The Green Music Center, and the Opera House in the past, need more than just capital to be built, but a flow of on-going cultural consumers. Right now, and for the foreseeable future, there simply are not enough patrons. One-off festivals, like the Napa Valley Film Festival and Bottlerock work great because Napa makes a beautiful location to come for a long-weekend of culture. As our brand grows and strengthens nationally, it would only put strain on our ability to give these new locations and our existing profitable locations 100% of our attention."
The company also notd that it plans to open a new City Winery venue in Atlanta.
Founded in 2008 by CEO Michael Dorf, the venue opened its original location in Hudson Square in New York in 2008. Since opening, they have added additional locations in Chicago, and Nashville. – Staff Writers
