Carlstadt Beer and Wine Bar, a neighborhood beer and wine bar tucked into University Village Shops off Ben Hill Griffin Parkway just north of Estero Parkway, has closed permanently. The automotive-themed hangout served its last pour on September 29, closing less than a year after it first opened its doors.
The bar announced its closure in a statement saying, “After much thought and doing everything we could to keep our doors open, the time has come to say goodbye to Carlstadt Beer and Wine Bar.” Garrett Fay Hamilton and Michelle Hamilton operated the business and were, as Fort Myers News-Press reported, the forces behind and faces of the bar. Carlstadt celebrated its grand opening in October 2025, meaning the shop managed to stay open for less than 11 months before shutting its doors, according to a Gulfshore Business post marking its debut.
A Neighborhood Beer and Wine Bar
Carlstadt operated as a beer and wine bar.
That no-kitchen setup kept overhead low but also meant the bar's revenue depended almost entirely on drink sales and events like trivia nights, rather than food. Carlstadt sat inside University Village Shops.
Carlstadt's closure also lands amid a broader contraction in the craft beverage industry. The Brewers Association's 2026 midyear report found that U.S. craft beer volume fell 4% in the first half of the year.
Competition Keeps Growing Nearby
South Fort Myers has hardly been a quiet corner of the craft beer world lately. Buffalo-based Resurgence Brewing Company opened a sprawling brewpub, restaurant, and outdoor beer garden on Exchange Lane in March 2026, giving the area a full-service competitor with a complete food menu that a kitchen-free bar like Carlstadt simply could not match.
University Village Shops also welcomed Pelican Cycle Works in May and announced the Tap & Tees Golf Lounge in August.
