Grammer’s closes, but some don’t care.
Photo from zipscene.com
I recently saw a Twitter conversation between two people regarding the closing of Grammer’s in OTR. The twitterers (who will remain nameless) went back and forth with the one (person 1) saying they were sad (for the neighborhood) about the news and the other person (person 2) saying that those who didn’t frequent Grammer’s shouldn’t be upset because they weren’t affected by the closing.
Before I get in to the reasons why person 2’s logic is flawed, let’s establish a few things. Grammer’s was a neighborhood establishment. It had been there for over 130 years and was the only business in that general vicinity.
When ever a neighborhood establishment closes, we should all be saddened. Churches, schools, restaurants, bars, stores, and others all serve to anchor neighborhoods. They provide jobs, services, food, recreation, or other goods for the community’s residents and visitors. The sudden closing of Grammer’s should sadden everyone for numerous reasons:
- The employees are now unemployed and were given no notice.
- That corner will now be more dangerous with a closed business there and no eyes on the street to police the area.
- The landmark building will now sit vacant, possibly declining in condition as no one monitors it.
- We now have one less business in OTR, a neighborhood working hard to improve its image.
Notice none of these four reasons are “I can’t go there now to enjoy a beer!!” Reasons like this are selfish and have no place in our community. While I didn’t frequent Grammer’s often, I will still miss being able to go there and get a beer. They were one of a few places that had Christian Moerlein’s Barbarossa on tap.
So before you say that people can’t be upset about a business closing because they didn’t go to it, move beyond selfish thinking, and look at how it affects the community and others.
What ever happened to empathy??
Over-the-Rhine Blog 
I agree – whether you went there or not, it’s a loss to OTR and that affects all of us. Hopefully this closure doesn’t last long and it makes yet another return. Hopefully under new ownership, b/c the Relish group are leaving a trail of dead restaurants across this city.
I saw this while it was unfolding on Twitter. My line of thinking mirrors yours almost exactly. I’ve never even been to Grammer’s, but I’d still rather see it open than closed. The last thing OTR needs is more empty buildings.
The story I read said that there were plans to re-open. Do we not trust that happening? Although I’ve never been there, I too hate to see another OTR business close. And sudden closings are always alarming.
While the articles have said there are plans to re-open, the Relish group has a poor track record of keeping their word with re-opening restaurants/bars they’ve closed.
I live a couple of blocks south of Grammer’s. It’s generally not my crowd (you’ll more likely find me at Neon’s/MOTR/Senate/Lackman’s, but I appreciated it being there. It seemed quite popular and was often a good host for community events and the outdoor space is probably the largest of its kind in OTR.
On the other hand, the Wade’s seem only good at losing court cases & running businesses into the ground. Grammer’s is just another in their wake. I hope Grammer’s finds new ownership & strategy. Given the population & economic revitalization of the area, Grammer’s should be one to benefit from it.