For once, the word “viral” is no exaggeration.
Social media reacted quickly and profusely on Monday when The Back Door announced it was closing permanently after 39 years, with one friend reporting 14 consecutive Facebook posts addressing the bar’s shuttering (officially it’s located in Tyler Park, but colloquially we know it as the Highlands).
And it makes perfect sense. A Louisvillian just out of college who began patronizing The Back Door back when it debuted is now staring straight at retirement age. That’s a powerful loss, indeed.
Here’s the text from The Back Door’s statement:
Dear friends,
After 39 amazing years, the Back Door is closing its doors, effective immediately. The community we have fostered in that time is diverse and close-knit, and we are appreciative to all of you for what you’ve done for us.
As almost all of you know, John was the glue that held the Back Door together. He was the perfect go-between, an incredible listener, and an experienced (and self-taught) business owner.
After his untimely passing last October, we tried to pick up the pieces and keep the business running as best we can, but not all dreams can be reality. It’s thanks to you amazing folks that we were able to stay open as long as we were, and we are forever thankful to you for that.
I hope that you will keep your fond memories and share them with those that you love moving forward. It has been an amazing legacy to uphold for even these past few months.
Thank you for everything,
The Dant Family
There’ll likely be follow-ups to this story, as The Back Door’s end may (or may not) be part of an exodus from the Mid-City Mall in anticipation of the property’s sale and potential redevelopment, as has been rumored for quite some time.
F & D’s columnist Sara “The Bar Belle” Havens will be writing a farewell to the bar, as she did when longtime owner John Dant died last October.
