Fish Ladder Lounge to close at the end of August

Meghan Walker Ballard

Fish Ladder Lounge (4910 Leary Ave NW) has announced that they’re closing their doors at the end of the month.

The owners of Fish Ladder Lounge—Alison Soike and her partner Ryan Faniel—shared the news on social media that the building owner has decided not to renew their lease, forcing them to close their doors.

Soike and Faniel opened Fish Ladder Lounge just over a year ago in May 2023 in the former Shelter Lounge location. They also own Lockspot Cafe, which they took over in 2021. Soike also ran Alison’s Coastal Cafe & Bakery for years before taking over the Lockspot and starting up Fish Ladder Lounge.

“It is with very heavy hearts that we share that the Fish Ladder will be closing its doors on August 27th,” Soike and Faniel shared.

“Our landlord has elected to give us the boot and is refusing to allow us to renew our lease. We have loved 4910 Leary for almost two decades, first as patrons for over 15 years, hustlers out front selling hot dogs and then when the opportunity arose we worked tirelessly to build something of our own here.”

They say they “dumped a ton of resources into this place to ensure that it was a safe space for ALL people,” and worked hard to make the Fish Ladder Lounge a place where community groups could meet.

“In the end here, money is winning out over community and it breaks our hearts.”

They’re hosting several events for their last weeks in business, and say they’re also liquidating their “fun fishy glassware” and other items to help recoup what they’re losing by closing down.

Photo: Fish Ladder Lounge