Close to one hundred glasses were lifted at once in downtown Clayton, marking the end of an era. The crowd grew so large that it spilled into the parking lot and over to Fortify Pi, yet not a drop of wine tipped from any glass as people gathered to honor Highroads Tasting Room. The scene called to mind New Year’s Eve in 1929, when raised glasses captured a fleeting confidence, the sense that everyone understood they were standing at the edge of something about to pass.
Tears gathered in more than a few eyes as the room erupted with emotion. One by one, people called out words they believed best captured what the all-access social club, wine bar, snack room, and local living room had meant to Clayton. “Home,” “warmth,” “family,” and “friendship” rose from the crowd, spoken with affection.
“Where will we gather?”
As the words accumulated, a deeper unease surfaced, with many wondering “where will we gather” and if they would be able to find a new third space. The Price family built that third space. Matt, a Level III sommelier and co-manager of Highroads, focused on the careful curation of rare wines, craft beer, and meads. While he poured and educated, Lynda Ann Price, co-manager, shaped the room’s social life.
She drew people from the edges toward a shared table, where investment bankers shook hands with artists, realtors met writers, and conversations moved easily from politics to theatre to the practical work of living. From those exchanges, friendships took hold and business connections formed. The space grew into a kind of civic salon, hosting networking groups, seminars, hymn sings, trivia nights, crafting lessons, local art receptions, and paint-and-sip gatherings.
Highroads’ impact on tourism & business
Several people gathered on the final night said Highroads often tipped the balance when they decided where to spend the day, with some driving in from as far away as Cornelia. The establishment stayed open late, accommodated mid-day meetings with a range of clients, and allowed friendship to develop alongside work. Out-of-town entrepreneurs said they enjoyed grabbing lunch downtown and then stopping in for a drink, laptop in hand. It was that kind of place, and when word spread that an unclear, long-overlooked ordinance might force its closure, people responded quickly across the region, most notably in Rabun County.
The controversy
The circumstances surrounding Highroads’ closure trace back to a dispute over the city’s interpretation of a farm winery tasting room ordinance revised in 2019. Under the ordinance, tasting rooms may pour only Georgia wines by the glass. Highroads, whose identity centered on a by-the-glass variety, offered Georgia wines alongside selections from other regions and even countries, inviting comparison and conversation as part of the tasting room experience.
As city officials moved toward enforcing their interpretation of the ordinance, questions arose about whether Highroads could continue operating in its existing form. This is despite city leaders openly acknowledging from their platforms that the language of the ordinance contained ambiguities. Tensions surfaced during a public meeting as supporters pressed for clarity, temporary allowances, or revisions that would allow a business valued by residents within the city limits and beyond to remain part of their daily lives.
For many in Clayton, the issue extended beyond compliance and into the loss of a civic gathering place that had come to serve as a cultural and social center for the town. At a city council meeting attended by more than one hundred people, residents gathered to support Highroads Tasting Room. One man spoke through visible emotion as he described the tasting room as a shared space he had once enjoyed with his recently deceased father, urging the council to find a way for the business to continue operating. His plea represented one voice among more than a thousand signatures collected through an online petition, alongside those present in the room.
Despite assurances from several officials that they supported the local business community and hoped for a resolution, the absence of timely clarity left Highroads unable to operate under the conditions that defined it. Requests for clarification from Now Habersham reporter Joshua Peck, made ahead of the council meeting that would shape the city’s next steps and before a planned “Wine-In” gathering at the business aimed at showing community support for Highroads, went unanswered, with council members either declining to comment or offering no response. At the same time, Mayor Pro Tem Stacy Fountain chose to address the issue publicly on Facebook.
The Prices were operating the tasting room for Jabe Hilson’s winery, Bee Effervescent, within a regulatory framework that the City of Clayton ultimately declined to extend to farm wineries. While local ordinances allow distilleries and breweries to operate under the Georgia state code, the city denied a request to grant farm wineries the same allowance. The ordinance itself was not substantively changed, aside from relocating growler provisions under the brewery section, effectively restricting draft service to breweries.
As a result, Highroads could not remain open, despite sustained public support and repeated requests from residents for an interpretation that would allow the business they valued to continue serving the community.
Highroads Final Evening
The standing-room-only crowd hugged, greeted one another, laughed, and cried together. People ate pizza from plates in the parking lot or in the restaurant, which connected to the wineroom, lingering as long as they could, milking their remaining time. Erika Farr, a friend of the Prices, described Highroads as “an amazing community spot run by wonderful, heart-filled people.” Ken added that they served “the best wine in town.” Standing with friends, Susie Roessler said, “We will miss the vibes. It’s like Cheers. Everybody knows your name.”
I sat with two friends I met at Highroads, and we lamented what we were losing. No other place in the region filled the same role or drew the same mix of people into sustained conversation. We talked about the familiar arc in Hallmark films about small towns, where citizens rally, persuade their leaders, and keep a beloved institution alive. Highroads, it appears, did not get a cinematic ending.
Anyway, maybe Mainstreet can make room for a Chipotle.
