H. Harper Station Is Closing Its Doors April 1

H. Harper Station, which has made a name for itself as one of Atlanta's top cocktail destinations on Memorial Drive in Reynoldstown, is looking at last call. The bar will close for good at the end of service on April 1, reports Atlanta Magazine. In a statement, owner Jerry Slater cited rising rent and a business model that's "no longer sustainable."

I wish to inform everyone that H. Harper Station will conduct its last service on April 1st, 2016. No, this is not an April Fool's, but I do hope everyone will pay us a last visit in the two weeks leading up to 4/1/16.

Harper Station opened in late 2010, still in the midst of the economic recession. The promise of the coming BeltLine and potential Memorial Drive development made the extravagant rent seem possible at the time. I guess you can say I was an early adopter, but I loved the idea of having a place in my own emerging and diverse neighborhood of Reynoldstown. While signs point to the area's impending development coming to fruition, it also brings the pressure of increased costs. After a great five-year run, we feel the model is no longer sustainable. We wish the best to the new tenant and the neighborhood they will service.

H. Harper Station opened in 2010, and it became a favorite for devotees of bourbon and other whiskeys. Slater went on to say he and his wife Krista might  open another venture in their new home of Madison. There's no word yet on what might replace the cocktail bar at 904 Memorial Dr. SE, but based on early reaction from Atlanta's drinking and dining community, it will have big shoes to fill.