There is something wonderfully satisfying about a beloved bar coming under LGBTQ+ ownership, especially when that bar has been woven into the fabric of its local queer community for years. In Columbus, Ohio, two longtime LGBTQ+ nightlife institutions are entering a new chapter after Union Cafe and Axis Nightclub were purchased by a new group of LGBTQ+ proprietors.
And judging by the reaction, plenty of Columbus queers are ready to celebrate.
Two Bars With Deep Columbus Roots
Union Cafe was founded by Rajesh Lahoti in 1996, with Axis Nightclub following two years later. Over the years, the two venues became recognizable fixtures of Columbus’ LGBTQ+ nightlife, giving the community places to eat, drink, dance, socialize, and simply exist together.
In 2022, Lahoti sold the businesses to Michael Purdum, founder and owner of the Old Bag of Nails restaurant group. Purdum is also gay, meaning the venues did not move from LGBTQ+ ownership into straight hands.
However, his relationship with portions of the local LGBTQ+ community became strained.
According to reporting by PinkNews, a former employee who had worked at the establishments for nine years criticized Purdum over alleged political donations totaling nearly $10,000 to Republican causes and candidates with one of those candidates being anti-LGBTQ. The controversy contributed to concerns among some community members about whether the businesses’ ownership reflected their values.
Now, the keys have changed hands once again.
READ: Straight Women Love Gay Bars. But What Happens to the Gays?
A New LGBTQ+ Ownership Group
The new ownership group includes Michael Smithson, founder and CEO of Columbus-based On Air Communications, along with two other LGBTQ+ business owners.
The reaction has been overwhelmingly enthusiastic, but Smithson himself has been careful about one important point: these spaces never stopped being part of the LGBTQ+ community.
The staff working inside them continued to create that environment, many of them members of the LGBTQ+ community themselves.
That distinction matters.
Rather than suggesting the bars suddenly became “gay” again, Smithson has emphasized that the goal is to build upon the community that was already there while putting ownership in the hands of people who are themselves deeply connected to it.
Bringing Back the Community Spirit
For Smithson, part of the excitement is about restoring some of the community-focused energy associated with Union Cafe and Axis in their earlier years.
Because a queer bar isn’t just somewhere to order a cocktail.
It’s a meeting place, a refuge, a dance floor, a first date location and sometimes the place where someone finally gets to feel completely comfortable being themselves.
Smithson wants that sense of connection to remain central as the venues move forward.
And honestly, that’s the kind of ownership change we can get behind.
Same Community, New Chapter
Union Cafe and Axis have already survived multiple eras of Columbus nightlife. Their latest transition isn’t about erasing what came before or claiming that one owner made the spaces queer while another didn’t.
It’s about who gets to shape their future.
With LGBTQ+ owners now at the helm, the hope is that these longtime institutions can strengthen their relationship with the community while preserving the people, staff and history that made them important in the first place.
The bar isn’t suddenly gay. It’s been gay all along.
Now, Columbus’ LGBTQ+ community has new owners helping decide where the party goes next.