Forbes' SYLO is to close next month, with CatholicCare Wilcannia Forbes announcing the difficult decision to cease trade.
"Our vision for the venue as a vibrant hospitality space in the centre of Forbes remains," CEO Anne-Marie Mioche said in a statement published to CatholicCare's Facebook page last week.
"Unexpected and impending staff shortages and a regional labour market that brings recruitment challenges have prompted our change in direction.
"Sylo is a wonderful and unique space in Forbes. We will be actively looking for partners who might want to run it as a café, bar, restaurant venue or functions centre and we see its potential as a nighttime venue."
SYLO is in the historic Lachlan Archade, the iconic three-storey building opened by Jewish merchant Daniel Berger in 1892.
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Since those days, it has been a garage, paintshop, second-hand shop, cafe and restaurant.
CatholicCare reopened SYLO as a social enterprise cafe mid-2022 and Ms Mioche thanked the community for the way they embraced this popular venue.
CatholicCare's social enterprise ventures have a focus of employing local people who have not had access to work or training opportunities previously.
"The way Sylo was embraced was heartwarming," Ms Mioche said in the statement.
"We could never have anticipated that within months our treasured Sylo would be inundated with floodwaters twice in a matter of weeks.
"We struggled through a year of closure while major repairs to the building were completed, keeping our core team employed so we would be ready to return to serving the community.
"It has been amazing to have our patrons come through the doors since we reopened in November last year, creating a beautiful community hub."
Sylo team members would be offered opportunities for other positions within CatholicCare Wilcannia-Forbes, a pathway from hospitality to social support services.
"In the past year we have been renovating the upstairs levels of the Sylo building, fitting out some of the space as offices and ensuring the 19th century property’s longevity," Ms Mioche said.
"We are committed to working towards a bright future for Sylo."
