Supernova Ballroom bar confirms closure

Trash Tiki co-founder Kelsey Ramage has confirmed that highly acclaimed bar Supernova Ballroom has permanently shut.

Supernova Ballroom was widely tipped for greatness

Supernova Ballroom was the first permanent bar founded by Ramage and Iain Griffiths, the other co-founder of travelling waste-reducing pop-up Trash Tiki. The venue opened in September 2019 in Toronto, Canada.

Speaking to The Spirits Business, Ramage revealed the “brutally tough” decision was made to close Supernova Ballroom due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“We had to adapt pretty quickly when the lockdown was first implemented and switched to online sales,” Ramage said, adding the liquor board in Ontario has allowed delivery and takeaways until 31 December 2020. “We launched Dolly Trolley Drinks – a cocktail delivery service selling bottles of liquor alongside pre-batched mixes.

“This has become our primary focus and business, as in July we made the brutally tough decision to close Supernova Ballroom.

“The bar was just hitting its stride with almost six months open at the time of lockdown. With the financial district, where it was located, pretty much empty due to everyone working from home and a lack of outdoor space, it didn’t make sense to bring our staff back to attempt to work inside and risk their, and our guests’, safety.”

Supernova Ballroom was listed as The Spirits Business’ ‘not to be missed’ bar to watch in the Americas this year.

Kelsey Ramage co-founded Trash Tiki and Supernova Ballroom with Iain Griffiths

It joins a growing list of renowned venues that have been forced to close due to the pandemic, including Pegu Club in New York and award-winning Milk & Honey in London.

Ramage added the cocktail delivery service “has been going great” and has just launched online masterclasses and party packs, where guests can order drinks kits and have them delivered to their friends, with Dolly Trolley Drinks hosting the event via Zoom.

Furthermore, Ramage plans to launch a Christmas menu after Halloween with three “super festive serves” as an ideal alternative to work Christmas parties, and to send to friends who are unable to meet in person.

Ramage added: “It’s been fun moving to holiday-focused pack cocktails, honestly. I’m really happy we launched Dolly Trolley when we did and have kept it going. We’ve been able to establish our delivery service early on.

“It’s only a matter of time before other restaurants and businesses start their own cocktail delivery kit now that the weather is turning colder.”