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The wave of craft beverage closures just won't stop.
Avid Cider is the latest company to abruptly shutter in Portland. A sign posted on the front entrance of the Pearl District pub thanked local drinkers for their support as well as staff, and welcomed people to continue to visit their original Bend location. The notice indicated the closure would help Avid to grow its distribution footprint.
"Avid has decided to focus on the production side of our business," read the letter, which was signed by founders Dan and Sam McCoy, "allowing us to expand our brand into more of the Northwest, Northern California and Idaho."
The Bend-based business former known as Atlas launched in 2013 and opened its Portland spinoff just about a year ago on the ground floor of the newly constructed Couch 9 Building.
Related: Oregon's Second-Biggest Cidery Debuts in the Pearl
This is the latest in a string of breweries and cider makers calling it quits in just the last week—a list which includes Lompoc, Rock Bottom, Coalition and Cider Riot—but it is one of the more surprising.
Not only is Avid the state's second-largest cider label, it seemingly had a built-in customer base by opening within spitting distance of thriving pubs and restaurants on Northwest 9th Avenue and Couch Street. There were no indications the tasting room was about to fold—the location's Facebook page advertised holiday party bookings as recently as Oct. 29.
No word yet on whether the Washington Square mall storefront will continue to operate. Calls to both that location and the Bend tasting room were not answered.