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Coasters closing its doors

Coasters Bar & Grill is shutting down in two weeks because it couldn't pay its lease.

Coasters Bar & Grill is shutting down in two weeks because it couldn’t pay its lease.

The popular, three-year-old drinking hole was looking for partners to arrange a new lease agreement at the 202 Motel building, but nobody came forward, said Jonas Smith, the bar’s entertainment manager.

“We were looking for somebody who would hold it together under the name Coasters, but it just didn’t happen in time,” said Smith, who has focused on bringing outside musical acts to the bar.

“It’s too bad because there’s a few people who are going to lose their jobs,” he said. “I’ve worked hard over the years to keep it going.”

Management was aware the company that runs the bar, the Coasters Group, was having trouble.

“We were looking to go to the end of the summer,” said Smith.

The bar manager was leaving in the fall for school.

“We knew that was going to change the mojo of things,” he said.

“But we didn’t expect things to end at the end of July.”

202 Motel owner Tippy Mah abruptly asked for the bar to close its doors unless it could pay. Attempts to reach Mah were unsuccessful.

“It was somewhat unexpected,” said Keith Jacobsen, the head of Coasters Group.

Jacobsen also runs the Capital Hotel, which he said isn’t suffering from financial trouble.

At Coasters, the doors will be closed, but everything inside will remain in place for now, said Jacobsen.

“Everything inside will be left for whoever next uses it,” he said.

Jonas, who could often be seen manning the sound board at Coasters, says the bar will try to close on a high note.

“We’ve got a lot of stuff booked for the last week so we’re hoping to go out with a bang.”

Contact James Munson at

jamesm@yukon-news.com