Monday, July 16, 2018

[Hands Up!] Hand In Hand Has Closed in Virginia Highland

"Classic English pub" Hand in Hand, a Virginia-Highland mainstay since 2000, has closed. ToNeTo Atlanta readers observed crews over the weekend emptying the restaurant at 752 North Highland Avenue of all of its furniture, fixtures and equipment.  The restaurant's facebook page has not been updated since July 12, and no official comment has been released or posted regarding the closure.    


Employees reportedly found out about the restaurant's closure Sunday morning when they arrived for work.  Sources close to the restaurant indicate that ownership may have been going through some financial issues, and that its rent may have played a part in its closure.

Hand in Hand was located on North Highland Avenue at its intersection with St. Charles Place.  The restaurant and its surface parking lot, which sit on a combined .65 acres, were sold for $4.65 million in early 2015.  The current owner is listed as "752 North Highland LLC," a Georgia LLC with a Bluffton,SC address. 

Hand In Hand's neighbor Neighbor's Pub, also located at 752 North Highland Avenue, remains open, and will likely only be affected by this closure by an increase in traffic.  

Business partners Steven Welch and Keith Washington once owned a number of similar pubs in metro Atlanta.  Among those the group owned were Rose And Crown on East Paces Ferry Road in Buckhead (leveled/vacant), Fox & Hounds on Collier Road(now Verde Taqueria) and Prince of Wales on Piedmont in midtown across from Piedmont Park (now The Nook on Piedmont Park.)



Welch supplied the following statement to The AJC 



“After enjoying 19 years of success in what was until recently Atlanta's preferred walking neighborhood the changing complexion of the intown retail environment made for challenging business conditions no longer sustainable. Hand in Hand is grateful to its many loyal customers and the Atlanta community at large for their long patronage.”

Given the suddenness of Hand In Hand's closure, there are surely plenty of hospitality workers in need of jobs.  Please comment below or post to twitter using hashtag #HIHJobs with any availability.

11 comments:

cafeej said...

Curious as to the comment "....in what was until recently Atlanta's preferred walking neighborhood the changing complexion of the intown retail environment made for challenging business conditions...." What has exactly changed with Virginia-Highlands that would remove it from the category "walkable neighborhood" in Atlanta? I drive through at least one Saturday morning a month and see a great number of walkers/runners/bikers patronizing the farmers market and restaurants for brunch.

Anonymous said...

“Changing complexion” reeks of racism. No question here, they closed up because they didn’t want any non-white customers. Bye Felicia!

Anonymous said...

Atlanta's landlords continue to get more and more greedy

Anonymous said...

I don't think much has changed. There's just tons of competition in various other parts of town now.

Alex said...

So sad. This is the last of the Derek Lawford Pubs. I use to work at the Prince of Wales when I first moved to Atlanta and then transferred to Fox and Hounds where I worked for several years. Lots of fun times and memories.

Anonymous said...

This stretch of retail, with the location and surrounding demographics, should be flourishing. Unfortunately, if you looked only at the empty storefronts and the buildings needing some refreshing and updating, you can figure out quickly why it has languished.

Unknown said...

Quite simply - the crowd that used to frequent the Highlands - specifically college students and the 21-30 age group have now moved on to the Beltline. That was the reference to "preferred walking neighborhood". Additionally, the neighborhood has transitioned from lots of rental properties to desirable in-town property for young families - not the demographic that is going to sit in a dark hand-in-hand. The mere mention of race in any comment is extremely ignorant.

Anonymous said...

"Changing neighborhood" means more interesting destinations in the neighborhood--Ponce City Market, Beltline, Old 4th Ward. Those properties are packed. There are plenty of customers in the wider neighborhood--they just don't find that stretch of N. Highland appealing.

Anonymous said...

As others have said interest has simply shifted to places like Inman Park and Old Fourth Ward. Things go in cycles. LOL at the idiot who tries to interject race into this. Nothing has changed in VaHi it just got old and stale and new options were built.

Anonymous said...

I used to get hammered in that pub. great memories. I guess I was in the 21-30 crowd but went there well into my 40s. Dont go now, there is much more competition.
hand in hand, rose & crown, fox & hounds, prince of wales, the irish pub in Decatur that I cannot remember the name of, Fado... all great spots in their time

Anonymous said...

HnH was one of my favorite places to go for a beer on a patio, esp. on Tuesdays ($2 burger), but also well into the wee hours on weekends. Many friends referred to it as the "second living room" since it was unpretentious and friendly. It's understandable to see change, and I guess the competition from the Beltline and PCM has taken away the sales needed to cover increasing rents. It's tough being an accessible neighborhood spot when you can't raise prices beyond what your clientele will pay.

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