Arts&LIFE
6 | Tuesday, March 3, 2020
GALLERY
Ohio-based artist brings international and domestic landscapes to a new exhibition.
ON PAGE 7
NIGHTLIFE
The Warehouse replaces Bullwinkles:
More changes to come for campus bars
A
NICHOLAS YOUNGBLOOD Arts&Life Editor youngblood.27@osu.edu
new owner has changed up the look and name of freshmen-favorite bar Bullwinkles, but his plans stretch beyond a fresh coat of paint. Campus-area club Bullwinkles reopened Friday as The Warehouse after seven weeks of downtime, boasting new lights, sound, ownership and management, according to a Facebook event page. New owner Gregory Knoob said he is making improvements, but the building’s days are numbered. He is also in the process of acquiring the nearby Big Bar & Grill, and more changes are yet to come for both establishments. Knoob said most of the changes are things students won’t notice: fixing broken toilets and keeping the space clean. “I just want it to be a nice, clean, safe place that people can have a good time and that’s it,” Knoob said. Upon reopening, the most no-
table change was the lack of the iconic red bull’s head hanging from the ceiling. Knoob’s wife and The Warehouse manager, Liz, said it was taken by a group of fraternity boys within 10 minutes of setting the tattered styrofoam sculpture on the curb. Knoob said this and other design changes were meant to give the club a more professional look. “This place looked like it was meant for people in junior high. I mean it really did,” Knoob said. Despite the changes, Knoob said the Bullwinkles sign on the front of the establishment will stay put for the foreseeable future. Strict rules for High Street businesses mean changing the name could take months, he said. Inside, “The Warehouse” is printed in large letters over the bar. Knoob said changing the name to The Warehouse was apt due to the building’s boxy, industrial look, but the title holds more significance to him. The Warehouse
The Warehouse opened Feb. 27. The sign will remain the same.
was the name of the Chicago club where house music first got its start, and as a DJ who began managing clubs in Illinois more than three decades ago, Knoob said he wanted to honor his history.
K
noob said he has DJ’ed most nights at The Warehouse since he started managing it in May. Many of his changes are focused on improving the entertainment aspect of the club. “I don’t want to have six guys sitting at the bar drinking a beer. I want everybody to dance and have
a good time,” he said. “I honestly care less about the alcohol part of this business. I wish it wasn’t necessary. I honestly just want a place where people go out, dance, have a good time. That’s it.” Bullwinkles moved to Big Bar during the hiatus — according to a Jan. 10 Facebook post — taking its staff, pricing and rules to the smaller club a block south. Knoob said this was possible because he currently manages Big Bar as well. “I had employees here [at Bullwinkles] that I had hired, and I didn’t want to fire people, lay peo-
AMAL SAEED | PHOTO EDITOR
ple off, while we were closed, so I had to do another acquisition just so people had jobs,” he said. Knoob said he was also motivated to purchase Big Bar because he does not see The Warehouse lasting long. He said he is only making minor changes because Campus Partners, the university’s real estate arm, has plans to acquire the property within three to five years. “I’m kind of worried about what the entertainment options are going to be once they tear all these things down,” he said. “It’s WAREHOUSE CONTINUES ON 7
