Photo by Walker Evans.

As a business owner affected by the latest Campus Partners announcement, I try to stay level headed enough to see both sides of the redevelopment. I certainly understand people wanting a “prettier” setting for parents to visit their college students. I am a father. I can appreciate the comfort behind dropping an 18 year old off in a squeaky clean brand new area. However, I also am very connected to OSU student life. These students do not want another Easton on campus.

We are a championship university in a city that not only encourages, but teaches, small business ownership. Very soon, we will be the only large campus in the nation without dive bars, music stores and late night pizza shops. Simply put, this is disappointing. We are not dealing with vacant property. These are profiting establishments, rich with history that make people comfortable on High Street.

Too’s Spirits Under High has been my my life for nearly a decade. My kids grew up there, generations have celebrated senior crawl there, they’ve laughed and cried there, and alumni return with bigger checkbooks and lower tolerances every year. My main focus is what I can do to keep my business open for myself, my regulars, and my family.

The truth is, I hate a lot of things about this plan. I hate that alumni do not recognize the place they once called home. I hate that my regulars will tell their kids what campus “used” to be like. I hate the thought of not feeling the High Street energy on a game day in every cell of my body.

I am humbled by the outpouring of support to save Toos. The hashtag #saveToos trended on twitter, photo bombed a live Buckeye basketball game, and has even been photographed in Munich, Germany. Our friends at Pops Printing Apparel have been working with us to make a #saveToos Shirt (100% of all proceeds will be donated). I am not surprised by students’ reactions to this — I know my clientele and I listen to my regulars. They are the heartbeat of campus, not just a section of High Street. They will patronize the businesses that mean the most to them. And they will not stand quiet when their traditions are torn down.

Too’s is more than a bar because OSU students are more than just numbers. Our regulars come back and tell us about their new jobs, fiancés, weddings and babies. They tell us how much they appreciated our psyche sessions about life and how good it was to feel at home when they were in college. They understand that college memories aren’t made on $8 novelty drinks in chain restaurants. They are made in the basement of dive bars on random Toosday nights. Ask any alumni about their best times on campus. I guarantee it’s not going to involve a fancy boutique hotel or a parking garage.

Scott Ellsworth

Owner of Too’s Spirits Under High