The South Austin location of Threadgill’s on 301 West Riverside will shut its doors this weekend, and begin the process of dismantling the historic restaurant. The restaurant will auction decades of accumulated memorabilia on Saturday, December 8 at 8 a.m., after a final concert featuring Fastball and Shinyribs (with proceeds going to Threadgill’s employees affected by the shutter).
The auction, managed by Burley Auction, has over 500 lots many of which are displayed online (the full catalog is forthcoming). There’s a preview planned for Friday, December 7.
Featured items include an armadillo basket, neon signs, and posters. Since this location had a connection to legendary music venue Armadillo World Headquarters (owner Eddie Wilson was also its proprietor), the auction also has memorabilia from many, many bands including Bruce Springsteen, Willie Nelson, and Janis Joplin.
The south location of Threadgill’s opened in 1996 and announced its closure in September (the original location on North Lamar will remain open). There are no solid plans for the space, although property owner Jack Burton told Austin Business Journal it will need a “strong alcohol sales component.” Threadgill’s just one of many old Austin restaurants to close this year, others including classic diner The Frisco, pizza parlor Frank and Angie’s, and ice cream shop Dolce Vita.