The Stone Fox to Close Jan. 31

Since 2012, local venue and restaurant space The Stone Fox has served as one West Nashville’s best haunts, providing top notch food and drink to The Nations and beyond, and playing host to many local and touring acts from all across the musical spectrum. Owned and operated by musician William Tyler and artist Elise Tyler, siblings and lifelong Nashvillians, The Stone Fox has also been home to our annual Christmas Carol Show, and is responsible for booking so many of our favorite indie, punk, and experimental rock shows that might not otherwise have found a home in Music City. It is with a heavy heart that we announce that the venue will close on Jan. 31; this Sunday. No specific reason was given, though the Tylers did reflect on venue, which they called “a labor of love,” and the supportive community that has surrounded it in a lengthy statement provided to the Nashville Scene. You can read below.

With a stacked show calendar throughout February and beyond, we’d expect many events find homes at other venues, though logistics would suggest at least some will be canceled. It is also unclear what will occupy the space after The Stone Fox shutters its doors. We’ll update when we know more.

“To our neighbors and friends,

As of February 1, 2016, The Stone Fox will be closing its doors. This is an incredibly hard decision that we have come to after much thought and struggle. It has been a labor of love since day one, when we decided to create a safe haven for musicians, travelers, artists, freaks, and Nashvillians of all walks of life. We wanted a place that felt like a home away from home, whether you were a touring band who needed to do laundry and eat a hot meal or a local looking for a place to commune with other like minded souls. As Nashville began to change at a rapid pace, we felt that much more commitment to creating an authentic local haunt that represented the best parts of our home town, the place we grew up in. We think we succeeded at that.

In the last three and a half years, The Stone Fox stage has been home to so much talent. We have packed the place out for block parties, concerts, drag shows, bingo, karaoke, movie screenings, private parties, birthdays, weddings, family reunions, and yes, even a funeral. It has allowed both of us to book shows that maybe wouldn’t have had a home elsewhere in town. It has provided jobs for many, consistently employing around 30 people at a time. And it has been home to one of the best damn burgers in this New Nashville burger town. There is no way to encapsulate all that has gone on during our time as a business. We just know that it has been a priceless experience full of joy and zero regrets.

We love Nashville as much as anyone probably could. We have each lived here our entire lives, and are damn proud of it. This community is our heart, and we are sad that this chapter of our involvement is ending.

Thank you to our customers, especially our regulars who provided so much support day in and day out. Thank you to our family and friends, who kept us sane during this entire experience, especially Dan and Adele, our parents. Thank you to every band, artist, and performer who graced our stage. You made The Stone Fox known for great music and events. Most of all, thank you to our amazing staff, some of whom have been with us since our first days of renovating the building, helping us literally build the place with our own hands. You are the soul of everything we have been lucky enough to accomplish, you are our family, and you are some of the finest humans to walk this earth.

We hope that you can make it by The Stone Fox before Monday. We ask that you support the new business that will eventually open at 712 51st Avenue North — be with us on their first day of business, whenever that may be, and celebrate someone else’s dream, just as you celebrated ours.

Sunday January 31 will be our last day of business. Come by, have a drink, eat a hush puppy, and let us give you a hug.
Thank you and goodnight, Nashville. 

Elise and William Tyler”

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