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A Chicago couple is facing a challenging situation as they attempt to reclaim their deposit after an unexpected closure of their chosen wedding venue, a brewery located in West Town.
Hailing from Logan Square, the couple reports that Great Central Brewing Company did not inform them of its closure, and their deposit remains unreturned.
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Grace O’Leary recounted waking up to a friend’s message alerting her that the fall wedding venue she and her fiancé had reserved was no longer in operation.
“Initially, I thought it might just be a temporary closure, perhaps for the day or week,” O’Leary explained. “The idea that a venue would shut down without notifying us and keep our money, leaving us in a difficult position, was hard to believe.”
However, when she attempted to reach out to Great Central Brewing Company…
“Their website is down,” O’Leary said. “Their phone number. You ring, you call it, and it just goes to nowhere. It’s been disconnected.”
Grace and her fiancé Samuel had put down a $5,400 deposit last July for their November wedding.
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“It feels so violating to just kind of be, like, robbed of your money, basically, especially for something that’s like, such a big day,” O’Leary said. “And we put so much planning into.”
But now the venue sits empty with a sign on the door saying the “Tap room is closed for a post holiday break.”
It’s unclear when the brewery shut down or for how long the shutdown will last, but according to the Illinois Secretary of State’s website, the West Town brewery was listed as NGS, or “Not Good Standing,” since February.
The Logan Square couple says they are grateful there is time to find a new venue, but not much time.
“I have to laugh, because if I don’t laugh, I’ll start crying, and that’s not going to be helpful,” O’Leary said. “And I know it’ll be okay. We’ll get it worked out. But it is just like, what? Like, who does this?”
ABC7 made attempts Thursday to reach out to the business, the owner and their attorney, but did not receive a response for comment.
On Sunday, Great Central Brewing Company’s CEO responded to ABC7, saying the taproom venue is only closed temporarily. The business owner also said they would still honor the couple’s November wedding event, but they are now in the refund process.
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