Owners of the “The Finley” in downtown Ozark announce closure

OZARK, Mo. (KY3) - “The Finley,” a popular restaurant in downtown Ozark, is closing its doors on March 31.

It opened in 2018 after owners Terry and Stephanie Mitchell refurbished the historic former Ozark Christian Church building.

On Wednesday, the couple posted to Facebook, “We regret to inform you, The Finley will be closing with our last day of service on March 31. We want to thank all the guests who we were honored to serve over the last four and a half years. We also thank our vendors, who provided us with the quality products we served to our guests. Last but not least, a special thank you to our staff (both past and particularly current) who worked to the best of their abilities to assist in providing the services we offered.”

The post generated hundreds of shares and comments, with many sad to see it go.

“I think we’ve established a pretty good reputation, and hopefully somebody would be able to build on that,” said Terry Mitchell, owner. “We’ve had people that got married here and have had their anniversaries, kids that went to church here with their families when they grew up, and the connections are all across the board.”

”It’s really sad to see them go,” said customer Cindy Anderson. “As soon as I learned of the closure, I came up here with my mother.”

Owner Terry Mitchell says it’s time for more personal ventures and hopes a buyer keeps it going.

“We have a farm that I’d like to be more involved with, and I’ve got five grandkids and number six on the way,” said Mitchell. “We’re looking at future buyers. It would be nice if they kept the name, but if somebody came in and wanted to put their own touch on it, I could see that.”

The building dates back to 1840, making it the oldest church in Christian County.

“It’s too beautiful just to sit empty,” said Anderson. “I hope another buyer takes it over because we love it here.”

“Without the staff we’ve had from the beginning, and what we currently we currently have, the place wouldn’t have been as big a success as it’s been,” said Mitchell.

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