(WSB photo, tonight)

Thanks for the tips. That’s how we found the front window of Locust Cider‘s Alki taproom at 2820 Alki SW, after going there tonight to verify reports it had abruptly closed. No note or explanatory sign, but the company website says “ALKI BEACH PERMANENTLY CLOSED. Thank you for 5 great years on the beach! Visit us at our downtown Seattle taprooms at Post Alley or Market Place.” (The company elaborated on social media (and via its email list) that it’s closed seven taprooms in all – Alki, First Hill, Redmond, Olympia, Vancouver, and Walla Walla in Washington, and Fort Worth, Texas” – while seven remain open. The company statement adds that “while this decision is necessary to ensure the future health of our company, it’s also incredibly painful.” We first reported five and a half years ago that Locust planned to take over the space where Alki Urban Market had closed almost two years earlier. That adds another space in transition on Alki Avenue – next to this space, Gary’s Place is about to open; a block east, the former Starbucks is set to become Alki Coffee Co./Ben and Jerry’s next year; and the former Alki Cleaners is getting ready to open as West Seattle’s second Happy Lemon tea shop.