Humans and dogs alike are preparing to say goodbye to Yard Bar due to rising costs of operations.
The off-leash dog park and bar, founded by Kristen Heaney Clark, has been a staple in the Allandale neighborhood since 2015. Yard Bar’s final day open is Saturday.
Heaney Clark said when she first adopted her American bulldog named Murray, she saw a gap in places in Austin where people and dogs could socialize simultaneously.
“I was always kind of conflicted between whether or not I was going to take my dog out to the park and run him around or go meet my friends for happy hour,” she said. “So it seemed like there was probably a better way to do it.”
However, the one-and-a-half-acre property is in an area of North Austin that is prime for real estate development, Heaney Clark said. Rising property and operational costs began to outweigh the business model, she said.
Lorianne Willett
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KUT News
Cass Tysarczyk and Bailey Gilbert are surrounded by dogs as they have a drink at Yard Bar.
“We put pen to paper again and really did everything we could to cut costs, and at the end of the day, the math just still doesn’t work,” Heaney Clark said. “The graceful thing to do was to just let it go and give everybody enough time to come back and enjoy it before we say goodbye.”
Austin today is a starkly different place than when Yard Bar opened 11 years ago, Heaney Clark said.
“The cost to do what I did [11] years ago would be very hard to do in Central Austin today,” she said. “It’s purely because the cost of things have gotten so expensive, and we want to pay our people a decent wage. We want to be able to grow and develop people. We want to be able to provide an affordable product.”
Heaney Clark said she is proud of the sense of community Yard Bard has helped build over the last decade. There are regulars who bring their dogs to the park every single day, she said.
Lorianne Willett
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KUT News
Owner Kristen Heaney Clark poses for a photo behind the bar at Yard Bar. She opened the business in 2015.
“I don’t know that I anticipated how much that would mean, how much this place would mean to other people,” Heaney Clark said. “People have had their first kisses here, built relationships here, built friendships here … and that’s something I’m really proud of.”
Elisa Wikey has been visiting Yard Bar since it opened. Wikey and her husband live in Round Rock, but make the drive to the park two to three times a week with their dog Brisket, a Chihuahua-dachshund-poodle mix. Wikey said the closing of the park is surprising but not shocking, given the state of the economy in Austin.
“The business landscape in Austin is a volatile place,” Wikey said. “So it’s always amazing when some place can stay in business as long as Yard Bar has, especially with all of these new builds popping up around it.”
Similarly, Tim Harvey and his pitbull-boxer mix, Rocket, have been visiting Yard Bar for more than seven years. After being rescued from a shelter, Rocket has grown from being skittish to a friendly dog thanks to Yard Bar, Harvey said.
“Knowing this strip of Burnet Road as it’s changed and watching the property taxes go up here, it’s been pretty interesting to see [that] it’s more geared towards bigger and bigger corporations, not small businesses like this one,” Harvey said.
Lorianne Willett
/
KUT News
Bala Silkenson and his dog, Frankie, hang out at Yard Bar.
Heaney Clark said she’s unsure what is next for her, but she’s proud of the work she has done and is willing to explore future opportunities.
“I know that once a door closes, another door opens, and at this moment, I’m kind of just reevaluating,” Heaney Clark said. “I’m very open to the possibility of another location for Yard Bar, and I’m kind of focused on what could be next.”
Yard Bar is hosting a farewell party Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Heaney Clark said all are welcome to come share their favorite stories, drink and buy merch one last time before hanging up the leashes.