Owner of closed Society bar on Sheffield's Ecclesall Road leaves heartfelt message after '18 months of blood, sweat and tears'

Society, at 421 Ecclesall Road, is in the process of being sold, according to co-founder James Beech. Mr Beech and pal Will Sykes opened the venue - a premium, independent micro bar - in March 2020 after leaving their jobs and putting “18 months of blood, sweat and tears” into their dream.

Mr Beech recently confirmed its permanent closure to The Star and the bar is also showing on Google as being ‘permanently closed’.

In a lengthy Facebook post on Thursday, Mr Sykes said: “Well, Sheffield, this is goodbye. It's been fun, it's been emotional, it's been everything I dreamed and more. I've had highs, I've had lows, but most importantly, I have no regrets.

Society was born of a dream to offer Sheffield a premium cocktail experience, where passion and expert care is taken with every drink. A place you can relax to laid-back House grooves, and immerse yourself in a cool ambience, whilst you sip your master-crafted cocktail... and I like to think that was achieved.”

He thanked all of the bartenders and added: “Society certainly would not have functioned without you, and I wouldn't have learned to be anywhere near as good of a bartender I became without the skills and knowledge that you all taught me.”

He thanked Mr Beech for ‘your help in making Society a reality,’ before adding: “And a final thank you to each and every person that came through our doors, for everyone who appreciated what we were, whether you had one drink or were a regular patron, I hope you all had a great time and made some fantastic memories with us."

The venue was forced to close shortly after opening by the UK’s first lockdown in March 2020. Reopening in July they were forced to close again in October. The bar eventually took off when all restrictions were lifted in June 2021.

In April 2022, Society announced daytime opening ‘for all your coffee needs’. But in June, Mr Beech left the business. In a Facebook post Mr Sykes thanked his pal for ‘many good times over the past two years’.

Mr Sykes confirmed in his Facebook post this week that Society has now been sold and will ‘rise as something new’.

He said: “Keep an eye out for the future. Farewell, Sheffield, it's been a pleasure.”