Owners of San Antonio vegan eatery-dry bar HASH say they'll close without community help

HASH — short for Heal and Spread Healing — will close next week without aid from the community, according to its owners, who this week launched a crowdfunding campaign to keep the lights on.

The establishment, which serves vegan food and non-alcoholic drinks, opened late last year, becoming San Antonio's first dry bar. While the local vegan and sober communities have grown in recent years, owners and brothers Rogelio and Michael Sanchez said they're on the verge of shuttering the business due to slow sales.

“We're just a couple of kids from the barrio trying to make a difference in a community we love. We opened HASH on the Southside of SA for the main purpose of bringing a fresh concept to a community we feel can benefit from it,” Rogelio Sanchez posted on Facebook Wednesday. “While our intentions were in the right place, operating a business on the Southside has come with its share of financial difficulties & slow days.”

Sanchez added that while he and his brother were able to finance the venture entirely out of pocket, they're now short on funds to keep things running. The pair were born and raised on the South Side, and the concept was born from their journey to recovery. They have been sober for eight years and vegan for seven.

“If we cannot pay a few major bills and taxes within the next 7 days, we will have to shut down operations,” the post reads. “We are calling on our amazing regulars and local community to help us continue to help our community and continue to be a light on the Southside!”

The post links to a crowdfunding page and invites residents to swing by the restaurant at 5007 S. Flores St.

“We hate to ask for help, especially when our goal is to be the helpers," the post concludes. "Thank you all for understanding and your continued support!”

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