Lease issues will force a downtown staple to close its doors by this Saturday.
Short’s Burger and Shine in downtown Iowa City will permanently close after a Johnson County judge ruled that the business did not renew its lease in time, ending a 16-year run.
Johnson County Magistrate Judge Christopher Foster ordered Short’s to vacate the building by Saturday, Feb. 10 for “failure to renew a lease,” punctuating a lengthy legal dispute between Short’s’s owners Kevin Perez and Dan Ouverson and the building owners, MidWestOne Bank, and the Haywood Belle Trust.
Short’s opened at 18 S. Clinton Street in 2008 with the goal to honor the legacy and story of former building owner H.D. Short, who shined shoes for 50 years beginning in 1920.
The restaurant pays homage to Short with a story on its menu and through photographs on the walls.
The business is no stranger to legal battles, having been locked in four different court cases since 2022.
Short’s briefly closed in 2022 for what owners said was the building’s poor condition . The restaurant was closed for three months for a “facelift” and reopened as students returned to campus.