Sherlock’s pub abruptly closes after 4 decades
Sherlock’s may turn up in a new place, say its owners, who filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in December
Sherlock’s Baker St. Pub in the Carillon Shopping Center has abruptly closed after 41 years. A note on the bar’s Facebook page suggests the owners may want to open a new place elsewhere.
Sherlock’s Baker St. Pub in the Carillon Shopping Center was abruptly shuttered this week after 41 years.
A notice posted on the door Sunday alerted “guests, bands, friends, vendors and employees” to the closure. A follow-up note on the bar’s Facebook page suggested the owners may want to open a new place elsewhere.
“Sherlock’s is looking forward to finding a new home in the near future,” the Facebook notice said, “but as for this location, all
good things do come to an end but the memories will continue and we want to say cheers to you Houston. We loved every minute of it!”
Sherlock’s Pub opened at 10001 Westheimer at Briarpark in 1977 and was an original tenant at the west Houston shopping center. The bar, inspired by the fictional British detective Sherlock Holmes, was acquired by Edgar Carlson and Larry Martin in 1995.
The partners expanded the concept, modeled after Holmes’ Baker Street flat, to include Baker St. Pub & Grill and Sherlock’s Baker St. Pub. Other ventures include Local Pour, Watson’s House of Ales in the Energy Corridor and the short-lived Restless Palate in Katy.
Carlson and Martin’s company, HUSA, declined to comment on the closure beyond the statement on Facebook.
Chris Tripoli, principal of A’la Carte Food Service Consulting Group, said he enjoyed the cozy English atmosphere at lunchtime when he stopped in for fish and chips or a burger over the years.
“My one feeling is I want to say congratulations on such a long run,” Tripoli said. “To last over 40 years in the same location is wonderful to see and extremely rare.”
He cited other operators with staying power such as Niko Niko’s, Nino’s, Vincent’s and Brenner’s Steakhouse.
But neighborhoods change, he added, and so do the tastes of residents around them.
“I’m sad,” Tripoli said. “That’s the disadvantage of being in such a rapidly growing city. Nothing really stays the same for long. Things constantly grow and change. Maybe the old English-style neighborhood hangout is no longer popular with the newer residents.”
The original Sherlock’s Pub is the latest HUSA location to close in recent years.
The company is reorganizing after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in December.
HUSA, which had as many as 25 bars and restaurants, now operates 10 in Texas and Colorado.
Baker St. Pub & Grill has closed local spots in Cypress, Willowbrook, Clear Lake and Rice Village. Local Pour closed its West Gray location, which originally housed Sherlock’s Baker St. Pub, last year to make way for a residential high-rise.
Several Baker St. Pub & Grills remain open in the Houston area. The only remaining Sherlock’s is in Addison.