The owner of the building out of which a Flowery Branch craft beer shop operates claims he is terminating the business' lease due to unpaid rent.
Artie Ching, owner of Beer Me's building off Main Street in Downtown Flowery Branch, alleged the business owes him over $30,000 in rent payments.
The news follows an announcement Friday by Beer Me on its social media pages. That announcement said they would be closing at the end of April and blamed Ching for the closure.
Artie Ching and his late wife Karen built the building in 2017. Contrary to statements by Beer Me, Artie claimed the building was not built just for Beer Me.
"It was not built just for Beer Me as their social media states," Artie said. "It was built to be an income property."
The building was offered to Beer Me's ownership at a reduced rate, as one of the owners is Artie's stepson/Karen's son.
"Over the years, since Nov. 1, 2018, when they opened, unbeknownst to me, they weren't paying their rent," Artie said. "They've got over $30,000 in past due rents at the reduced rate."
As a result, Beer Me's lease is being terminated on April 30. Beer Me said their final day in operation will likely be April 26 or 27.
Original story published Saturday at 1:20 p.m.:
Beer Me, a craft beer shop located in downtown Flowery Branch, is expected to close at the end of the month.
The establishment made the announcement Friday on its social media pages, citing issues with the owner of the building the business operates out of on Main Street.
"This is not our decision," the post reads. "This was made for us by building owner Artie Ching."
The business said in the post that their building was built for them by Karen Ching, who was well-known in the downtown Flowery Branch community. Ching, the owner of Liberty Candy Company, passed away in 2019.
"Fast forward a couple of years and Artie Ching is trying to undo all of that," the post claimed. "He is evicting us out of the very location that was built for us. Not for any other reason than greed and spite."
The post said they were unsure about when their final day in business would be. However, they said it would likely be April 26 or 27.
Beer Me's ownership was not immediately available for comment.
