For a decade, The Crown has been a popular Station North live music venue known for giving local talent a place to shine. It has become nationally recognized on the independent music circuit.

Filmmaker John Waters has said it is one of his favorite spots in Baltimore.

But, in what some fans of the venue are calling an end of an era, The Crown said in a surprising announcement on social media that it will close Aug. 12 “with a heavy heart.”

The posts did not give a reason but hinted that the decision was made due to circumstances beyond control. The owners did not return calls for comment and were not at the venue Friday evening. Kim Eunhyi, who goes by Yumi, said she has worked at The Crown in the kitchen for 11 years for her husband, the venue’s owner.

“For the last year business has been slow, so it’s just been a headache,” she said.

Known for its diverse crowds and LGQBT-friendly vibe, The Crown’s departure will leave a major void in the Baltimore arts district. The venue, which opened in 2013, hosted events such as Pride celebrations and the upcoming Version: A Queer Dance Party. It offers performance spaces at reasonable prices, making live music opportunities accessible to up-and-coming talent and securing a place as a beloved fixture in the arts community.

Patrons took to social media to mourn the news and share memories of the blue, red, pink and aluminum foil-cloaked rooms where they danced, performed and fell in love.

In addition to the live music, people come to The Crown for its Korean fusion cuisine, including K-fries and K-style wings.

“Finding out the Crown in Baltimore is closing is like my 9/11. I love going to shows there and getting Korean food before seeing some extreme music act. One of the best in that city it will be so missed” wrote one follower on the social platform X.

News of the closing caught many people by surprise. Those who came to the venue Friday, where 51 Peg, Talking to Shadows, Amazing Destroyer and Vice Birds were scheduled to perform, were still taking the news in.

Greg Palmer, with Talking to Shadows, has played The Crown since 2019. “This venue’s been reliable for touring bands, local bands, any kind of genre; there’s always been at least two stages here,” Palmer said. “Yeah, I think it’s definitely a hit to the underground scene for sure.”

Darien Smith, 27, stopped in for the good food but hadn’t been to The Crown since before COVID. “Before the pandemic, I used to come here. It used to be fun; it was like a club,” Smith said. “I think it sucks; it’s like one of the funnest places here. It’s not many clubs in the city.”

Others wondered if the closing was a sign of a struggling music scene — and if venues were still trying to recover from the loss of business during the pandemic.

“The crown in Baltimore closing is really sad, wrote another person on X. “I think we need to be more grateful of these spaces and realize that sometimes the reason these venues aren’t always offering the best deals, is because they are suffering too. The venue crisis worsens in Baltimore without the crown.”

Earlier in the day, Shepsworth Bentley, a pop and rap musician, told a reporter he has performed at The Crown several times, but his favorite memories are “partying with some really cool people” and seeing top local talent such as Kotic Couture, Ducky Dynamo and Eze Jackson perform there.

He was sad but not surprised the venue was closing.

The Crown had recently reduced the number of smaller performance spaces for one big space in recent years, and Bentley was not a fan of the change.

Pitchfork has said The Crown is one of America’s best independent music venues, and Waters listed it as one of his favorite Baltimore hangouts in a 2020 article in Fodor’s Travel. “If you want new, young music in Baltimore, go there. It definitely has edge, but at the same time, it’s very welcoming. It’s the coolest music,” he wrote.

Artist Chris Cassius has performed and attended shows at The Crown “more times than I can count.” He said at one point The Crown was the hub for underground talent in Baltimore.

”I’m sure we all as a community hate to see The Crown go with all of the memories made,” he said. “We all have bonded with Tony [security] and Heather [ticket taker] after a drunken night and tiring performance.”

Cassius is remorseful about The Crown closing but said it served its purpose for an era that needed it. “Now it’s opening an opportunity for something new to be a catalyst for the underground to come,” he said.

The social media announcement of the closing invited people to stop by in the coming weeks to say farewell. It will continue with scheduled events through Aug. 11 and touted plans for an additional “Farewell to The Crown” send-off party during its final weekend. Shows scheduled after Aug. 12 will take place elsewhere, according to the announcement.

“It has been a hell of a ride, and has meant the world to us,” the post said.