BENTONVILLE -- Owners have closed The Holler, a restaurant that helped anchor the 8th Street Market in downtown Bentonville.
The announcement came Wednesday.
"Beginning Thursday, December 31, The Holler team has made the difficult decision to close its doors. This year has been a challenge for our local hangout, as it has for so many others," according to a social media post from the venue. "Unfortunately, this means the restaurant and space have not been able to operate as originally intended, which ultimately led to its closure."
The venue was a concept by Bentonville-based Ropeswing Hospitality Group, the company behind other Bentonville restaurants such as The Preacher's Son, Pressroom, Louise and CO-OP.
There were no responses from an email sent to The Holler and Ropeswing, along with a call and email to Downtown Bentonville.
The space at 801 S.E. Eighth St. is also home to Brightwater: A Center for the Study of Food, Bike Rack Brewing, CO-OP, Yeyo's Mexican Grill, Markham & Fitz.
The 10,000-square-foot restaurant featured three shuffle board courts at the center of its space. It opened in the summer of 2018.
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Bentonville resident Jeff Mores said his family went to the restaurant and he also worked from there in the mornings when it was quiet.
"Before covid, my girls would walk there a lot with their friends to get burgers," he said. "The shuffleboard floors in there were a blast. It will be sad to see it go, but I'm hopeful something will open there in its place.
"The thing is, that place was designed for big crowds and the masses, and covid doesn't allow that model to work any more."
Chris Sparks, a Cave Springs resident, said he hated to see the closing because he and his wife really enjoyed going to the business.
"We've really tried to support our local businesses and this was such a fun hangout, and the boys enjoyed the shuffleboard," he said. "We went with friends and family. It has such a great vibe, and it's sad how the pandemic has affected so many businesses."
Bentonville resident Dylan Shaddox said he'll miss going to The Holler. Shaddox said he visited the restaurant three to four times a month because it was so much fun.
Shaddox said at first The Holler was a nice place to hang out with friends, but he also enjoyed going there to work remotely when he got tired of being at his house. He said he enjoyed the parties the restaurant hosted and he had his 27th birthday party in a private room there.
"The Holler will be missed," Shaddox said. "I'm not sure what would take over, but I hope it's fun."
Garrett Moore contributed to this report.