The Little Bar is set to be closed on Sunday. Credit: Zachary Rilley | Lantern File Photo
After 20 years on High Street, The Little Bar will close its doors Monday, but not without hosting various going-away festivities.
The bar’s lease will end March 31, according to prior Lantern reporting. Following that date, the building — located at 2195 N. High St. — is set to be demolished and replaced with a nine to 12-story apartment building that will touch High Street, Norwich and Lane Avenues.?
“I guess everything good comes to an end,” said John Massimiani, The Little Bar owner.?
The bar announced its closure in an Instagram post Wednesday, stating its last karaoke will take place Thursday, and its official going away party will be held at 3 p.m. Saturday.?
In an updated Instagram post Thursday, the bar confirmed it will open for their last day Sunday at 4 p.m., stating “everything must go.”?
“We’ll stay open until we’re out of product so swing by while you can,” the post said.?
While Massimiani said he is not happy to have to close the bar, he is currently looking for a new location to reopen the establishment following the original building’s demolition.?
“Maybe there’s another plan for me,” Massimiani said. “We’re actively looking to move somewhere else. We just want to stay on campus.”?
In addition, Massimiani said his staff will expand the hours of operation for its other establishment, The Horseshoe Country Bar — located near Little Bar at 2159 N. High St.?
Following The Little Bar’s closure, Massimiani said he will open “The Little Bar 2,” temporarily, in a back room of The Horseshoe.?
Massimiani said he expects students to be disappointed in the bar’s closure.
“They’re gonna move on and find another place to go,” Massimiani said. “That’s just kind of how it works on campus, for sure. We made a lot of people happy because we had a good business there.”?
Marin Ruffner, a second-year in health sciences, said The Little Bar was special to her because it was the place where she made lasting memories with her friends.?
“It’s the best place if you want to just go and enjoy the presence of the people you’re with,” Ruffner said in an Instagram direct message. “Whenever I have friends visit from home, I bring them there because I know it has a perfect chill vibe, but is still unpredictably wild.”?
Ruffner said she is disappointed to see the bar go, and will always remember its ability to bring people together.?
Allie Helms, a third-year in marketing, said The Little Bar has been a staple of her college experience.?
“As long as I’ve been on campus, Little Bar has always been one of those places you think of when you think ‘Ohio State,’” Helms said in a text message. “Especially living north of campus, you can truly see how much community is brought about by Little Bar.”?
Helms said she is also saddened to see The Little Bar be demolished and replaced by a new apartment building.
“It is upsetting to see more and more campus landmarks closing to make room for luxury housing, especially somewhere that is so sacred to graduating students who will no longer be able to finish out the semester at one of their favorite places,” Helms said.?
Alumni have also expressed disappointment in the bar’s closure. Quinn Allen, owner of The Thirsty Scholar and The Library Bar — which neighbors The Little Bar — said he was a regular at the bar during his undergraduate years.?
“I’ve known The Little Bar since I was in college when it first opened,” Allen said. “It was, I mean, it’s always been, when it first opened, the go-to place. It just never stopped being that place for North Campus.”?
Allen also expressed sympathy for the way The Little Bar is closing, as Massimiani does not own the property.?
“Everybody down there, for the most part, is renting and they’re leasing,” Allen said. “You just assume that those leases are going to keep renewing until a developer shows up on that person’s front doorstep with a blank check and says, ‘What does it take to get you out of here?’”
Massimiani said The Little Bar provided for him in multiple ways, from establishing a sense of community to supporting his family. He said while he tried to buy the property for 20 years, his lease is up, and there is nothing more he can do.?
“We made a lot of people happy,” Massimiani said. “It’s been great for my family. My daughters have worked there. When you do something that long and it’s successful, you know, I’m proud of it.”
Massimiani said The Little Bar has built a community that follows him wherever he goes, which is a direct result of the care that he and his staff show for their clientele.?
“We get all these great people coming in and they have good memories,” Massimiani said. “We treat them right. I tell people, we don’t just come in and give you a beer. I mean, we take care of whoever was in the bar, you know what I mean? And I think that a lot of people don’t do that. They’re just worried about making money and moving on, but we build something.”
Allen said The Little Bar’s presence on campus will not be forgotten.?
“That place has been a cornerstone of culture,” Allen said. “[Massimiani is] a staple on campus. He is an absolute, undeniable legend for Ohio State’s campus. And I feel like Little Bar was his cornerstone.”
In reflecting on the High Street’s evolution, Massimiani said many local businesses struggle to keep its doors open.?
“A lot of places can’t really last that long, which you see on campus,” Massimiani said. “There’s a lot of turnover in this business, but we do it right, and that’s kind of why we’ve been successful. When you treat people the right way, they keep coming back. They appreciate that, because I don’t think they get it anywhere else.”
