10/14/2026
❤️ A Heartfelt Message from Smitty & Lauren, Hannah & Maddy
After a lot of thought, many conversations, and more than a few emotional moments, Lauren and I have made the difficult decision to put The Buckle up for sale.
This certainly hasn’t been an easy decision.
When we opened The Buckle, we had a vision of creating something special. A place where people could come together, enjoy great music, make new friends, share a few laughs, and forget about the outside world for a little while.
Looking back, we believe we accomplished exactly that.
But somewhere along the way, The Buckle became so much more than just a bar/restaurant
It became a place where strangers became friends, musicians became family, and memories were made that will stay with us for the rest of our lives.
We’ve watched people sing their hearts out, dance the night away, celebrate milestones, celebrate the lives of lost friends and family ,and make friendships that might never have happened if it weren’t for this little country bar in downtown Kingston.
And that’s something money simply can’t buy.
We’ve put countless hours, long nights, hard work, and a whole lot of love into The Buckle. And if we’re being truthful, there have been many sacrifices along the way, too.
But we wouldn’t trade the memories for anything.
As we get a little older, we’re reminded that time is the one thing in life we can never get back. And with uncertain health ,and what time we do have left, we feel we’re making the best decision for our family.
Our family has always been our greatest blessing, and we’ve reached a point in our lives where we want to spend a little more time enjoying them, making memories with our children and grandchildren, and simply slowing down enough to appreciate everything we’ve worked so hard for.
We’re not walking away because we’ve stopped believing in The Buckle. We’re turning the page because we believe there’s still so much life left to enjoy.
Our greatest hope is that someone will come along who shares our passion and continues what we’ve started.
To every musician who’s stepped onto our stage, every employee who’s worked alongside us, and every customer who’s walked through our doors, please know that you’ve been part of something very special to us.
And to those of you who have supported us from the beginning, we’ll never forget it, and please know how much we appreciate you being a part of our Buckle family.
The Buckle was our dream, but all of you helped make it a reality.❤️🙏🏻🎶
For now, nothing changes. Our doors remain open, the music will keep playing, and we’ll continue making memories together.
This isn’t a goodbye, and it certainly isn’t the end of The Buckle’s story.
It’s simply time for Lauren and me to start writing the next chapter of ours.
From the bottom of our hearts, thank you, Kingston. ❤️
With love and gratitude,
Smitty & Lauren 🤠❤️
