hard luck toronto

Toronto bar successfully saves itself after crowdfunding $35,000

Despite a certain Toronto bar's name, they've had a stroke of good luck this holiday season and have managed to successfully save themselves through a GoFundMe campaign.

Bar and venue Hard Luck put the word out through social media that they'd need help from the community to raise $35,000 or else face closure. The bar is known for putting on a diverse range of entertainment featuring different musical genres, and has been a refuge for heavy metal fans.

They posted videos earnestly asking for support, though it wasn't easy for them to do. Posts about their progress were interspersed among photos of the empty bar on Instagram. 

On Dec. 20, they only had $10,000 to go until reaching their goal.

"When we made the difficult decision to start this GoFundMe, we honestly didn't know what to expect. YOU have shown us this city believes in the importance of live music & in the need for spaces like Hard Luck," the bar wrote on Instagram.

The beginning of the week brought the best news of all: Hard Luck had finally reached their goal.

On Monday, they wrote in an Instagram post: "Thank you all so much for the support!

"Looking forward to our stage/venue being filled and crushing bottles of crown with you all again! ⁣(hopefully sooner rather than later)."

It still feels like a long way to go until the stage and venue are full again, but in a city of disappearing venues, this is definitely a win.

Lead photo by

@roamingbuffalostudios


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