Photo courtesy of John Morris, goodnightraleigh.com
Earlier this year, when I did a post about local landmarks where key events in the “Losering” story happened, I concluded with a paragraph about Sadlack’s — the beer joint/sandwich shop where Ryan Adams and other employees formed the first version of Whiskeytown in the fall of 1994. That entire block of Hillsborough Street has been on borrowed time for quite a while now, condemned for a big-ass hotel project. Last time I spoke to owner Rose Schwetz, she told me that she planned to stay there “until the bulldozers come and make me leave.”
Alas, it seems that the hour of Sadlack’s demise might come sooner rather than later. There’s a December deadline for all businesses in that block to relocate (including the adjacent Schoolkids Records). And according to a story in today’s paper, Rose says she’s going to hang it up unless she finds another spot by June 1. Still, even if she does find another place to reopen, it’s hard to imagine it will have the same funky ambience that made Sadlack’s a local institution for 40 years. When the weather’s nice, there’s no better spot to hear a band play than the Sadlack’s patio. Between this and the loss of the Brewery, Raleigh has ever-fewer spots from Ryan’s in-town heyday.
But hope springs eternal. Even though it doesn’t look good for Sadlack’s, I’ve got my fingers crossed a miracle happens.
ADDENDUM (5/7/13): WRAL TV report.
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