Some Athens businesses are back, while others may never return.
Flames erupted on Union Street on Nov. 16, leaving five local businesses damaged. Months later, the buildings continue to stand on Union Street displaying the aftermath.
The businesses included:
- Jackie O’s Pub & Brewery, 24 W. Union St.
- The Union Bar & Grill, 18 W. Union St.
- Kismet, 16 W. Union St.
- Smoke Zone Smoke Shop, 14 W. Union St.
- Jack Neal Floral, 12 W. Union St.
While not every business is running anymore, the atmosphere of each business is remembered and missed by patrons.
The Union became a music venue in the early 1960s and has since hosted famous musicians who weren’t well known at the time, such as The Black Keys, St. Vincent and The White Stripes.
“I’m sure everybody that hangs out at Court Street bars probably thinks they’re having more fun than we are, and we think we’re having more fun than they are,” Eric Gunn, the owner of The Union, said.
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Gunn said he’s optimistic about having The Union and its old personality up and running at the beginning of the 2015-16 academic year. Construction on the roof has begun, and, once it is done, he said renovations and repairs can start.
“Our goal is to be open as soon as we possibly can,” Gunn said. “I’m hopeful it’s realistic for us to be open by then. I will certainly do everything in my power to make sure that happens, but you can’t control the weather or all the other factors that go into doing that.”
Local bands, such as the metal band Skeletonwitch, also made their claims to fame on The Union stage.
Zach Fuller, lead vocalist and guitarist of Weird Science, first played at The Union as a teenager and said the bar has been a “music staple” in his life.
“It was a great music venue, but it was also a great place to hang out with friends and what not,” he said.
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Uptown Dog T-shirts,the first business to reopen following the fire, is at a new location directly across the street from the former building on 9 W. Union Street.
Jack Neal Floral relocated to the corner of West Stimson Avenue and East State Street in late December. The shop remains open in the new location.
Following the fire, Jackie O’s Pub & Brewery had to move its kitchen to keep serving food because the original kitchen was underneath the roof of The Union.
The BrewPub side of the establishment opened several days after the fire, but a few weeks passed before the Public House could reopen.
“We have everything from fraternities and sororities to an older crowd, alumni and people who are in grad school,” said Jonathan Holmberg, a bartender at Jackie O’s. “It’s one of the favored hangouts of the playwrights and the movie people at OU.”
With a live stage and the space for different events, Jackie O’s is able to bring in live music, karaoke and dance parties with local DJs.
Jackie O’s participated in the Rise of the Phoenix benefit to help raise money to restore The Union in December.
The Athens Smoke Zone Smoke Shop location remains closed as of press time, but regional manager Jac Cooper said, following the fire, he is anxious to one day reopen.
Kismet, a two-year-old clothing boutique, was damaged from the fire and the owners put an “indefinite” hold on rebuilding or relocating the business, according to a previous Post report in January.
In March, Athens City Council members agreed to make the damaged buildings a “historic district,” which would help owners with reconstruction via a tax credit, according to a previous Post report.
“The idea is, by supporting the property owners in this way, nothing will be pulled down,” said Councilwoman Chris Fahl, D-4th Ward, in a previous Post report.
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