UPDATED: Cheer Up Charlies Owners Regain Access to Venue After Lockout

Updated, 4pm: Co-owner Maggie Lea told the Chronicle that she and partner Tamara Hoover have regained access to Cheer Up Charlies. “We ACH our rent through a rent portal and the ACH just takes three to five days and we [sent] it a few days late on March 4th, so it didn’t show up until today,” she explained.

ACH, which stands for automated clearing house network, is a common electronic money transfer system utilized by landlords and property management companies.

Lea and Hoover met with landlords DT Land Group Wednesday afternoon and were able to demonstrate that they had sent rent and were then returned the keys to their establishment – alongside a stern warning to account for ACH lag in the future.

“I wasn’t multiple months behind [on rent] or anything like that, it was just a late ACH payment that needed to clear earlier,” said Lea.

As of 2pm on March 11, Cheer Up Charlies owners Tamara Hoover and Maggie Lea have been locked out of their nightclub at 900 Red River. 

The Chronicle captured a photo of a padlock around the gate to the popular queer watering hole on Wednesday afternoon – one day before the official kickoff to South by Southwest 2026. Also posted was a letter from landlord DT Land Group, informing Cheer Up Charlies, LLC that it has “failed to cure [its] default.”

“On March 5, 2026, Landlord notified Tenant that were in default of their lease due to rent past due in the amount of $15,529.58,” the letter reads. “The failure to pay these amounts constitute events of default under the Lease. Landlord provided 5 days for the Tenant to cure this breach. To date, the Tenant has failed to cure its default and pay the past due amounts.”

The letter continues: “As authorized by the Lease, the Landlord has re-entered and taken possession of the Premises. In order to secure its possession of the Premises, the Landlord has altered the locks. You are not authorized to reenter the Premises. Until the Lease is formally terminated, rent will continue to accrue.” 

When reached for comment at 2pm, Cheer Ups co-owner Maggie Lea texted the Chronicle that “We cleared the rent this month in full, but we were late.”

“We are currently at their office asking why we are being kicked out even though we paid rent in full. I believe they are confused about a partial payment made last week and didn’t realize the full rent had cleared.” 

DT Land Group did not respond to the Chronicle’s calls. 

The timing of this lockout is particularly difficult for the venue, as SXSW traditionally brings in significant revenue for Austin music venues. Cheer Up Charlies has struggled with rent in recent years. Late last August, the music venue announced that it was $58,000 behind on rent and would have to close if it didn’t raise the funds by the end of the month. Lea and Hoover successfully raised the money via community fundraising, but faced backlash for turning to the community to resolve its financial issues. Shortly thereafter, the owners were purchased by queer-owned, Florida-based hospitality group Pride Holdings Group, but then left the deal three weeks later. 

“Tamara and I have nothing bad to say about Pride, we just put in a notice and we’re out,” Lea told the Chronicle following the rescission. “I think it’s what is best for both of us and they agree.”

At a discussion produced by Prosper.xo on March 4, Lea and Hoover discussed their rocky climb toward stable ground as venue owners. Lea caught up with the Chronicle the next day to elaborate on the steps they’ve taken to steady the ship at Cheer Up Charlies and begin to plot the course for the future.

“Tamara and I are stewards of this community space that we want to be good stewards of, and we are really, really locked in now as being very, very good stewards of. We’ve been very disciplined with our payroll, getting our bills paid, and just staying on top of it,” Lea said. “It had a lot to do with scaling back.”

Scaling back, the club owner went on to explain, didn’t mean firing staff or closing for additional days, but booking fewer shows and events with fewer acts on the bill. 

“The scaling back was very natural,” Lea said, citing confusion over the stage’s status, frustrations in the community that led some to boycott, and the winter industry slow down as inciting factors. “It was the perfect time for us to re-regulate what was going on within our company, in a quiet rebuilding of the internal systems.”

The duo brought on an operations manager and consultant to give a third-party perspective on the Red River bar’s procedures. Increasing transparency surrounding realistic artist payouts and check timelines was top of mind. The owners adapted TuneHatch, a booking and ticketing service used by Brushy Street Commons and other Austin venues, and took steps to slow down and elucidate their booking process with artists and performers.

Scaling back might’ve been a natural process a month ago, but to make the most of SXSW traffic, March means going big for Austin venues. Cheer Ups’ schedule is no exception. Unofficial showcases, day parties, and more fill their booking calendar from March 12 through 18, including a showcase from The Nothing Song on Thursday night featuring acts like Almost Heaven, Stalefish, Lauren Lakis, and Glaze; a day party and record signing event on Saturday featuring Shallowater and Susannah Joffe; and an Austin Pets Alive! Benefit rave Saturday night.

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