Turn! Turn! Turn! Is Closing at the End of the Year

Turn! Turn! Turn!, the Northeast Portland bar and music venue beloved for hosting local bands, has announced it will shut its doors at the end of 2023.

“With appropriate heaviness of hearts, we must tell you that as of the end of this year, we will be closing up shop,” owner Elizabeth Venable and her partners, Geoff Soule and Clarence Jacobs, said in a statement. “We know that Turn! has been such an important community hub and that many of you are reluctant to see us go.”

Turn! Turn! Turn! is located inside the historic Albina Arts Center building, which recently acquired a new owner and steward: a partnership that includes Portland Opportunities Industrialization Center Inc. and Rosemary Anderson High School, in collaboration with lead artistic partner PassinArt.

According to Venable, Soule and Jacobs, they signed a two-year lease when they took over Turn! Turn! Turn! in 2021, understanding that the building’s changing ownership meant that there was no guarantee of renewal.

“The vision for this historic building is that it will serve as a community center for Black Portlanders, as it has in the past,” Venable, Soule and Jacobs said. “We are in total support of this transition and wish the new owners all good things for the future of the space and the community.“

While Turn! Turn! Turn!’s last day will be Dec. 31, 2023, Venable, Soule and Jacobs have expressed interesting in selling and relocating the business.

“We know that Turn! has been such an important community hub and that many of you are reluctant to see us go,” they said. “While we don’t have the means to do it by ourselves, we are open to new ideas about selling/relocating the business. Any takers?”