Krave restaurant and music venue to close, likely be demolished after July 4 fire

News-Leader

New owners renovated Krave in 2017. A fire struck July 4, 2019.
The closing marks the end of a nightlife venue with roots back in 1987.

Krave Seafood & Oyster Bar co-owners Teresa Chism and Mark Schwien announced this week that they will permanently shut down the restaurant and live-music venue in the wake of an overnight fire that took place July 4.

"When you drive by, it won't look so bad, but the kitchen is devastated," read a Facebook post written shortly after the fire. No one was hurt in the blaze, the News-Leader reported in July.

On Sunday night, a new post from the owners read that the property — formerly Cartoons — "will remain closed" and "will likely be deconstructed," though the owners hinted that they have "an open mind" about reopening in another location.

A large crowd watches Fishing for Saturday perform at Krave on Friday, Jan. 18, 2019. Following a July 4, 2019 fire, owners announced Oct. 20, 2019 that the restaurant and music venue would permanently close.

"We have traveled every avenue and looked at all our possibilities," the post read. "Our insurance company, The City of Springfield, The Greene County Health Department, the ATF and three general contractors have all been working with us diligently to find answers that make sense to find solutions to rebuilding. There are NONE that make sense to rebuild at that location. This property will likely be deconstructed and the land [...] sold. Krave Seafood and Oyster Bar and Live Music venue will remained closed. We are keeping an open mind on other possible locations and will keep you informed."

The post went on to thank the supporters of Krave and its predecessor, Cartoons, a fixture in Springfield's entertainment landscape going back to 1987. Entrepreneur Gary Summers started the place that year.

A 2005 photograph of Cartoons Oyster Bar, which opened in 1987 and was a Springfield favorite entertainment destination in the following decade. In 2017 it was rebranded Krave by new owners. In 2019 it closed following a July 4, 2019 fire.

Summers owned and operated Cartoons until 2003. Afterward, a series of new owners tried repeatedly to spiff up the restaurant and venue.

By the 2010s, Springfield's nightlife scene had developed a lot more competition. Attracting audiences for live music shows became much more difficult, according to a music booking agent tied to Cartoons interviewed by the News-Leader in 2017 — the year Chism and Schwien took over the establishment, rebranding it as Krave.

The owners remodeled many aspects of the facility and added more seafood to the restaurant menu, the News-Leader reported, including inexpensive Taco Tuesdays with tilapia and shrimp.

"It’s gotten nuts,” Schwien told the newspaper in late 2017. “We sell over 500-600 tacos.”

A 2017 file photo shows Krave as it was being rebranded from Cartoons.

Fans of Krave took to social media with tributes. One poster wrote on Facebook, "This is so sad. So many wonderful musical memories here. I was so thankful for what you had done to place after buying it. Thank you for the wonderful times."

Another wrote, "This definitely marks the end to a remarkable era. I’ll truly miss this place that’s provided me so many memories over the decades."

The News-Leader tried to contact Krave's co-owners by email, phone and social media message Tuesday morning but had not yet heard back.