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San Luis Obispo (SLO) Public Market, a prominent gathering place in southern SLO since it opened in 2020, has recently received scrutiny over three businesses, including two restaurants and one grocery market, abruptly closed without warning in mid-August.
According to Kaytlyn Leslie from the San Luis Obispo Tribune, “The businesses had not announced their closures on their various social media platforms or on their websites as of Friday afternoon, nor were any signs posted at the establishments in the Public Market.” This, as well as the absence of employees and signage in the previously occupied Peixes Oyster Bar and on the market directory, is what sparked questions in the community.
If one looked through the windows of Bishop’s Market, a farmers market-type store in the center of the Public Market, they would see a seemingly functional, ongoing business, from the sandwich signs outside to the container of honey sticks on the front desk. Everything about the physical building suggests a healthy, running business. However, between the Bishop’s Market google page which announces that it is “permanently closed,” and the SLO Public Market website with no trace of the market except for a dysfunctional website link on the directory, the only sign that Bishop’s was ever online is in their Instagram, which is still up but inactive.
“Poor management and no advertisement” is what killed the businesses, said an employee at the Public Market. Although the administration did not respond to questions, there were some individuals who were able to tell their account of what happened.
The story of the closings at the SLO Public Market is a mysterious one, but it is reported that months ago, Bishop’s Market and Rambling Spirits were being managed well, apart from advertising, which was the beginning of the end of both businesses. According to an anonymous source, “Nobody even knew about the businesses back there.” So, management was passed on, which began a new era of even poorer administration that eventually led to both Bishop’s Market and Rambling Spirits shutting down. This may seem like a typical cycle of economics, and it may have been, except for the fact that allegedly after their workplaces had been permanently closed, the employees at these businesses had not been paid the remainder of their salary. And although unjust, unfortunately it is assumed that it was too expensive for them to take the case to court.
It is unknown where the three businesses are now, if they will reopen, or who will ultimately replace them in the public market. The San Luis Obispo Public Market may have been the center of some controversy, but it is still very much still up and running, with 14 merchants and plenty of interest in the weekly events they host.
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