Giddy Ups, a well-loved South Austin music venue and honky-tonk, is set to reopen after closing in 2024 due to redevelopment pressure and worries about gentrification.
Longtime patron Roy Antognini is leading the revival. He bought the business from the family of the late founder, Nancy Morgan, hoping to keep the venue’s legacy and Austin’s independent music scene alive.
Preserving an Austin Legacy
Antognini said he always knew the original Giddy Ups could be affected by redevelopment. After Morgan passed away in 2023, the venue closed within a year when new management took over the lease.
At the time, the business publicly cited:
- gentrification,
- and loss of its leased space
as primary reasons for closing.
Later, Antognini talked to Morgan’s son, Michael, about reopening the business.
“I want to keep your mom’s legacy alive and what she meant to Austin,” Antognini told him before eventually purchasing the business.
New Location in South Austin
The new Giddy Ups will open at
- 10509 Old Manchaca Road, Building A
- in South Austin,
- which is less than two miles from where it used to be.
The ownership group includes:
- Roy Antognini,
- Carissa Bunker,
- and Anna Bosworth, the former general manager of the original Giddy Ups.
Construction will start right away, and the owners hope to open in June.
Keeping the Original Spirit Alive
The new owners plan to preserve many elements that made the original venue iconic, including:
- Nancy Morgan’s collection of license plates,
- original artwork,
- furniture,
- and bar tops saved from the old location.
The venue will also keep its longtime role as
- a live music venue focused on local musicians,
- and a gathering place for Austin’s independent music scene.
Antognini said that helping new local artists is still at the heart of what the bar wants to do.
“That’s kind of what kept Austin, made Austin what it was,” he said.
Austin Culture & Gentrification
This story also highlights bigger worries about
- redevelopment,
- rising costs,
- and losing longtime venues throughout Austin.
Giddy Up’s revival taps into nostalgia for:
- old Austin culture,
- independent music venues,
- and the city’s longtime “Keep Austin Weird” identity.
Antognini framed the reopening as an effort to preserve part of the city’s cultural history for future generations.
“I miss the icons that went away, and I want to keep that going.”
Why It Matters
The reopening also shows some bigger trends in Austin’s business and culture, like
- preservation of legacy local businesses,
- resistance to cultural displacement,
- continued demand for authentic live music venues,
- and how redevelopment affects small, independent businesses.
It also demonstrates how:
- community-driven ownership,
- nostalgia,
- Local identity can become a powerful force in reviving legacy hospitality brands.
Source Details
- Publication: MySA (My San Antonio)
- Article Title: ‘Legacy alive’: The heartfelt story behind revival of an iconic Texas honky-tonk
- Author: Cristela Jones, Austin Trending Reporter
- URL: https://www.mysanantonio.com/business/article/giddy-ups-austin-tx-reopening-22258882.php