Brewery announces it's closing its Toronto location

After seven and a half years in business, a Toronto brewery is closing down its brick and mortar space in Brockton Village.

Laylow Brewery, located at 1144 College St, recently announced that its last night will be on December 22, 2023.

"It hasn't been an easy decision," says Laylow's owner Daniel Boniferro.

Boniferro says the team thought about selling the lease back in 2020. At the time, they were thinking about how the restaurant industry would change during and after the worldwide pandemic.

"It put a lot of things into perspective," he says. "The power of music for us, is a big thing. And being social is how we live."

At the same time, Laylow's brand was changing, Boniferro says. Rather than just being known as a local brewery that brewed beer on its kitchen stove stop, it also became known as a champion for the arts and music scene, where hip-hop, jazz and poetry nights often occurred.

"I just believe in the arts scene so much. Growing up in this city, with so much live music, I don't want it to go away," Boniferro told blogTO. "There's been a hip-hop, jazz and poetry renaissance in our city."

At the same time, repayments for the federal government's small business loans that were given during the pandemic will be due soon.

Knowing this, Boniferro says it would be best to give up the brick and mortar space and continue with the brand in the new year, as a means to save money.

A GoFundMe by Boniferro was also created to help speed up the process rebranding for the new year, with a $30,000 goal.

Some of Laylow's future plans include maintaining its clothing line, hosting more music and arts events,  and selling their beers to retailers, including the LCBO.

In the meantime, Laylow will remain open seven days a week with community events lined up.