New owners Hilary and Tallis Moore with founder Theo Dzielak
The Couth Buzzard saga has reached a happy ending! From suddenly announcing their permanent closure more than a year ago, to being temporarily saved by the community, to convening a steering committee and debating possible futures, the ultimate answer was to find new local ownership. Per an announcement from founder Theo Dzielak:
We’re so excited to announce that the Couth Buzzard is here to stay! Tallis and Hilary Moore have signed the paperwork and take over ownership of the Couth Buzzard on June 1st. You may know the neighborhood couple from our open mic nights, or may have just seen them around in the last few months, but we’ve got the scoop on your burning questions right here, so keep reading to find out everything you need to know about the future of the Couth.
The Moores are artists, educators, and service industry professionals with a history of working within their community and aiding underprivileged youth. Hilary currently works as the Bush School’s high school drama teacher, and Tallis most recently worked as a program manager at ROOTS Young Adult Shelter.
“We’ve fallen head over heels for the Couth community,” said Tallis. “We started exploring this opportunity by attending open mics and jams, which gave us our first sense of what an irreplaceable space the Couth Buzzard is – how it nurtures creativity and warmth unlike anywhere we’ve seen.”
With each interaction, the family has grown more fond of the shop, and we’re glad to see them carry on the shop’s legacy.
“I’m really happy we found these two,” said Theo. “They’re already a part of the community and they’ve been really great every step of the way.”
The Moores plan to bolster and support the things that we love best about the shop: live music, literature, and above all, community. Of course, there will be some changes under new ownership, like a spruced up cafe and new menu items, but it is vital to everyone involved that the soul of the Couth remain unchanged.
“It’s incredibly important to us that we also stay true to what Theo, and all of you, have created,” said Tallis. “We’re beyond honored to take the Couth Buzzard into its next phase of life.”
Tallis and Hilary will be shadowing the regular staff occasionally before they take over on June 1st and encourage you to swing by and say hi. Even better, come to a public meeting this Sunday (5/19) at 6pm to meet them, introduce yourself, and ask any questions yo9u have about the direction of the New Buzzard. There will be a community open forum and the couple will be going over their plans in a little more detail. Plus, your regular baristas will be there, and they’re always happy to see you.
