2. Orange Coworking, located at 2110 W. Slaughter Lane, Ste. 160, Austin, permanently closed in July due to the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The South Austin coworking space held a liquidation sale of furniture and equipment beginning July 21. 512-887-4469. www.facebook.com/orangecoworkingatx
3. South Austin Presbyterian Church permanently relocated to 7103 Oak Meadow Drive, Austin in July. With services previously held at Sunset Valley City Hall, 3205 Jones Road, the church will host worship services in its new space at 9:30 a.m., 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. each Sunday. The church’s pastor is Jim Cassidy. 512-758-9867. www.southaustinpres.org
4. Austin American-Statesman will move its offices in 2021 to the Met Center, according to Zydeco Development, the developer of the Southeast Austin complex along Metropolis Drive. The Statesman’s current location at 305 S. Congress Ave., Austin, which is owned by the Cox family, is being redeveloped as a mixed-use project that is proposed to include 12.5 acres of space designated for public use, including a waterfront park. Current Met Center tenants include Arrive Logistics and an Ascension Seton telemedicine center. 512-445-4040. www.statesman.com
5. The Vegan Yacht, which currently has a food trailer located on Menchaca Road in South Austin, will be opening a brick-and-mortar restaurant Aug. 1 at 2000 Southern Oaks Drive, Austin, on Aug. 1, taking over the former home of The Full English. The restaurant’s menu will include vegan burritos, chili bowls and sides, including Frito pies, veggie dogs, chili mac, and rice and beans. www.theveganyacht.com
6. Epic Fun Family Entertainment Center, which had been distributing free pizza to the community during the pandemic, reopened July 1 following months of closure due to local COVID-19 orders and safety precautions. The Oak Hill activity center has faced economic hardship from the long closure. Epic Fun owner Stacey Eppen confirmed to Community Impact Newspaper that her team was striving to keep the business alive after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Now that Epic Fun is back open, new health screening and social distancing procedures have been implemented. Epic Fun is located at 7101 W. Hwy. 71, Ste. D, Austin. 512-957-9099. www.epicfun.com
7. Gourdough’s, which has a brick-and-mortar location at 2700 S. Lamar Blvd., Austin, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy June 23. According to court documents, the Gourdough’s location that opened in 2019 on the Riverwalk in San Antonio was a drain on the company’s finances, with the owners transferring $1.79 million in expenses over the course of the year to support the location. The South Lamar location and the Gourdough’s food truck remain open. 512-912-9070. www.gourdoughs.com
8. The Sustainable Food Center announced July 7 it will extend its Neighborhood Pop-Up Grocery Project through Sept. 30. The project, initially started in April, offers low-cost fresh produce boxes and other grocery items inside restaurants that have closed their dining rooms. There are 20 restaurants participating in the project, including Killa Wasi, 3913 Todd Lane, Ste. 607, in Southeast Austin. 512-236-0074. www.sustainablefoodcenter.org
9. Vitamin and supplement retailer GNC closed its Barton Creek Square Mall location at 2901 S. Capital of Texas Hwy., Austin, in July as part of a restructuring plan after the company filed for bankruptcy June 24. According to the company, more than 800 locations will close internationally. GNC still has three locations in the Southwest Austin area, including in Sunset Valley, Cedar Valley and Southpark Meadows. www.gnc.com
10. According to a letter to parents, Smith Academy will be closing permanently Aug. 1 due in part to constraints placed on the school by the ongoing pandemic. Located in South Austin at 11530 Menchaca Road, Bldg. 5, Austin, the private school serves students up to fifth grade and offers extracurricular activities such as music, art, gym and swimming. The academy was established in 1979, according to the school’s website. 512-282-7739. www.smithacademyaustin.com
