Here's a bit of bad news for Riverside bar-goers. The Avro announced today that it will close its doors for good on Friday, April 26th, thereby following in the footsteps of the ill-fated airplane project after which the watering hole is named. The story is a familier one. Riverside is on the rise and with it is the rent that landlords are seeking from tenants. There's also more competition in the near vicinity with the arrival of Riverside Public House, An Sibin Pub and Aft (to name a few).

"We realize that in a dynamic and changing neighbourhood such as Riverside, commercial rent increases are inevitable but the rent hike demanded by our landlord is simply untenable for an establishment of our size," explain owners Bruce Dawson and Rachael Conduit in a note posted to Facebook.

Opened back in 2010, the Avro quickly won a loyal following from Riverside locals who enjoyed the laid back vibe and lack of pretention at the place. This won't mollify those folks much, but this atmosphere (not to mention some of the bar's staff) can also be found at Handelbar, its sister establishment in Kensington Market. And there are no plans to close up shop there.