A Downtown Bend Bar is Closing

Less than two months after 900 Wall closed its doors blaming a significant drop in business, a bar in downtown Bend announced its closing for the same reason. In a posting to Facebook, Unofficial Logging Co. on NW Harriman Street and Greenwood Avenue, said its last day is expected to be Wednesday, July 2. The post cited a 40% drop in sales compared to last year.

A co-owner of 900 Wall told the Source a significant drop in business this year is the reason it abruptly closed on May 5. Following that report, owners of other downtown restaurants told the Source they’d experienced a 30% drop in sales during the first quarter of the year and are concerned about their future.

Here is the Facebook post from Unofficial Logging Co. posted Monday, June 30:

Dear friends,

It breaks our hearts to share that Unofficial Logging Co. will likely be closing, with our last day set for July 2nd.

When we opened our doors in 2019, we had a simple dream: to create a place where people could gather, laugh, and connect. Just a few months later, that dream collided with the pandemic. We had to shut down almost immediately. What followed was a series of challenges that never seemed to stop.

After COVID came the lumber crisis, with prices tripling overnight. Then we faced staffing shortages that never really let up. Then inflation. Then tariffs. And now, in 2025, economic uncertainty is the new normal. People are tightening their budgets.

We’ve done everything we could to stay afloat, but this year our sales are down 40% from the year before. That isn’t a marketing issue or a temporary slump. It’s a signal that something deeper is happening. Axe throwing is fun, but when compared to food, rent, health care, or insurance, it’s a luxury. And luxuries just don’t survive in economies like this one.

We’re probably the canary in the coal mine. We hope we’re wrong, but we’re afraid we’re not. What’s happening to us may be a sign of what’s ahead for many others in Central Oregon and beyond.

Despite all of this, we are incredibly proud of what we built. Our bar has been more than just a place to throw axes. It’s been a home for concerts, fundraisers, first dates, last hurrahs, and everything in between. We’ve hosted weddings in La Pine, baby showers in Prineville, festivals in Redmond, and community gatherings right here in Bend. We’ve been lucky to meet and connect with hundreds of thousands of you.

We know people often talk about economic impact in numbers, and we’re proud to have contributed more than $5 million dollars into the local economy over the last 6 years. But our real impact is harder to measure. It’s the way people felt when they walked through our doors. It’s the joy, the laughter, the sense of safety, the unforgettable memories.

Thank you, Bend. Thank you, Deschutes County. Thank you, Central Oregon. For the time, the support, the love, and the trust.

So long, and thanks for all the fish

–The crew at Unofficial Logging Co.

This article appears in Source Weekly June 26, 2025.