Yesterday, Vicious Fishes Fuquay Tap and Kitchen closed for good. The company said,
“Our lease is up – and the proposal is for a 55% rent hike. Given the dramatic increase and after a lot of consideration, we’ve decided we need to focus on what’s core to Vicious Fishes Brewery, which is making the best beer we can and serving it directly to patrons in our taprooms.”
Although the town of Fuquay Varina has its share of welcoming places where family and friends gather, Vicious Fishes was special. Maybe it was the staff that greeted you warmly, maybe it was the yummy food, maybe it was the family atmosphere.
Memories
On our family’s third day of moving to North Carolina – not knowing a soul, and trusting Providence that all would be alright – we went to dinner at Vicious Fishes. Somehow, that visit made us feel confident and welcomed in our newly adopted state. We went back many times after that.
Judging by the numerous comments on on-line posts about the departure of Vicious Fishes from our town, we were definitely not the only ones saddened by the loss of that place of comfort.
Gentrification
Businesses often think it best to return to their core function after experimenting with expansion. However, a 55% rent increase is bound to influence such decision!
Our town of 49,257 residents is rapidly growing, with a population increase of 42.54% since 2020. Town leaders are delighted. But some folks are not happy that farmland is shrinking, trees are being cut down, not as many deer are walking around neighborhoods, and development is everywhere.
Those are the inevitable results of people from populous, expensive regions moving to small, affordable towns like ours. As more folks move in spurring development, real estate prices go up. Some call this gentrification.
We will have a fancier town, but the comforting places like Vicious Fishes might no longer be there.
Just Vote No 