Durham’s Proximity Brewing Company, the city’s only Black-owned brewery, has shut down its Driver Street taproom, saying the rising cost of doing business made the space impossible to sustain.
The closure was announced Thursday in a social media post, where the brewery cited “ongoing challenges and the realities of high operating costs” as the reason for the decision. Proximity added that it “will continue brewing and remain active with wholesale partners,” according to The News & Observer.
What the Taproom Represented
Proximity opened its doors in December 2023 at 491 S. Driver St. and was widely described as Durham’s first Black-owned brewery. Axios Raleigh covered the launch, and the brewery’s own website lists the Driver Street address, operating hours, and contact information for customers and partners.
Industry Headwinds for Small Brewers
The shutdown of the Driver Street taproom lands in the middle of a broader national contraction for taproom-first breweries, a trend noted by the Brewers Association.
