A well-known restaurant and live music venue on Southland Drive is turning off the lights and closing up shop.
Willie’s Locally Known started business in 2012 on North Broadway, but shifted operations to Southland in 2016.
Co-owner Willie Sebastian told the Lexington Herald-Leader “we gave it a hell of a shot.” Now, the owners assay they’re working on taking care of employees and getting severance packages together as they look at ways to “move forward with the brand.”
Visitors to the business’ website now see an “Under Construction” message with the tagline “see what’s next.” It also says all concerts scheduled for the venue will be canceled or moved.
Willie’s served as a popular combination restaurant, bar, and live music spot. Sebastian says, “We gave it our all, had incredible staff, great support from the community and from the neighborhood but just couldn’t make it fly.”
