On a normal Wednesday night, Bang the Drum Brewery in San Luis Obispo attracts a full house for its trivia night but the answer to what happens next for the business is still up in the air.
As of March 10, the mixed-use development at 1150 Laurel Lane received notice of building and fire code violations, giving tenants like Bang the Drum 30 days to vacate if the violations weren't fixed.
“It's the good and the bad thing is that everyone cares about this place so much, so it doesn't just affect me, it affects so many other people and they feel for me," brewery owner Noelle DuBoise said.
The brewery moved to its current spot after having to leave a previous location in 2019.
Dubois said that between the relocation, dealing with the ongoing construction for the past five years, the COVID-19 pandemic and now this recent notice, it's been comical.
“It feels kind of impossible and like, it's a movie almost," she said.
In January of 2024, temporary certificates of occupancy were issued by the City of San Luis Obispo to the property owner of Laurel Creek LLC.
The City found several violations, deeming the mixed-use space “unsafe, unlawful, unfit for human occupancy and declared dangerous.”
The temporary certificates meant businesses could stay open on the condition that the violations were fixed, but according to the City, that never happened.
“We all would really like for some deal to be worked out, however that could be worked out," Paul Albertson said.
Albertson runs his business, Stomp Interactive, out of the Office Hours co-working space located at the complex. He explained that it’s the perfect place for businesses and people in the community.
“The opportunity here is amazing and I think the future here and what this could be is really promising," he said.
According to the City, they have tried to work with the property owner over the last five years on making progress on construction with “itemized lists of improvements that must be completed,” however, the temporary permits expired near the end of 2024 and work is still not complete, meaning the tenants will have to pay the price.
“It's hard for everyone, and everyone has reached out to us saying that they'll do anything for us, which is really lovely and emotional,” Dubois said.
KSBY reached out to the property owner via email but did not receive a message back and when going to their website, it appears to be shut down.
DuBois says that as of right now, their move-out date is set for early May. Meanwhile, a City spokesperson told KSBY in an email that their economic team is standing by to assist the tenants should the violations fail to be fixed.
*This story has been updated to reflect the address as 1150 Laurel Lane.
