Bier Stube owner reflects on bar’s closure after 58 years of business

Bier Stube, affectionately dubbed by longtime patrons as “Stube,” has been a staple of campus culture at Ohio State for nearly 60 years.

Cheap beer, loud music and a laid-back atmosphere will be mourned by students, alums and community members alike, as Stube — located at 1497 N. High St. — is set to close its doors the weekend of Sept. 21, according to a post on its Instagram .

The closure comes after a long battle between developers and the University District community, which began in March 2023 when the University Area Commission Zoning Committee passed a proposal to tear down and replace Bier Stube with an apartment complex, per prior Lantern reporting .

The proposal passed the University Area Commission’s full commission two weeks later, traveling to the Columbus City Council for final approval, per prior Lantern reporting .

Craig Kempton, current owner of Bier Stube, said the bar’s long-time success was due to its simple charm.

“This place has always been just meat and potatoes,” Kempton said. “It’s just music, sports on TV and the community. It’s just the attitude of how we run things. And we get people that have been coming here for 30, 40 years.”

Kempton said he has worked at Stube for 28 years, taking ownership of the bar in 2004. He accredits his loyalty to Stube’s positive work environment, which he said is fostered between employees and customers.

“You tell your bartenders things,” Kempton said. “You become best friends with all of these people. You have your own little small community.”

Reflecting on his 28-year run at Bier Stube, Kempton said he considers his greatest Stube highlight to be meeting his wife.

“She worked for me for 11 years,” Kempton said. “We have two beautiful children. And I don’t think anything’s better than that.”

As Stube closes its doors, it becomes one of many local campus bars to be lost as a result of real estate development. The Little Bar, Lucky’s Stout House and Too’s Spirits Under High are some of the notable upcoming or past closures to be approved for redevelopment into apartment buildings by the Columbus City Council, per prior Lantern reporting .

Scott Ellsworth, current owner of Threes Above High, Fives Up High and previous owner of Too’s, which closed in 2017, said the closure of bars and other businesses on High Street diminishes the area’s personality.

“I think when you slowly take away the small businesses, you’re slowly taking away the character of one of the greatest universities in the world, and that’s sad to see,” Ellsworth said. “I understand housing is important, but I feel there has to be some sort of middle ground in attempting to keep some character on campus.”

Ellsworth also said these closures have definite financial and emotional impacts on small-business owners.

“It’s really hard to put into words the feeling you have when you’re losing a business by simply being at the wrong place at the wrong time,” Ellsworth said. “You always hear the tagline, ‘It’s not personal, it’s just business,’ but I’m fairly certain I can speak for most small-business owners when I say it’s extremely personal. When you give your blood, sweat and tears, and you’re missing every imaginable event all for the betterment of having a business that puts food on your table and gives your children a better future than you had — that’s pretty personal.”

Kempton said the outpouring of support from Ellsworth and other bar owners in the University District has been crucial in getting through the closing process.

“He’s been a big help with everything because he’s been through it,” Kempton said. “Our bars look out for each other like crazy; they’ve been very supportive, and I’ll support them.”

Though Kempton said he is unsure about the possibility of Stube moving to a new location, he said that if it were to reopen, the environment that made it special would have to be retained.

“Everything’s coming down with me,” he said. “Because if I open a new Bier Stube, it’s got to look like the Bier Stube, it’s got to feel like the Bier Stube.”