You’ve likely been in this exact scenario: several of your friends are sitting around, enjoying a few drinks, and someone pipes up, “We should all open our own bar someday!” to unanimous agreement. But for Mike Huntwork, his wife Maggie and his friend Rod Crousey — the co-founders of the newly opened New Richmond Tavern — that dream has become a reality.
Krausey and Mike Huntwork started working on the project in 2024, but it wasn’t until Maggie Huntwork left corporate America to become the bar’s general manager that the place finally got off the ground.
“Mike and Rod are full-time engineers, so they didn’t have a ton of time to work on it. I worked in brand strategy for 14 years, but I have desperately missed the service industry. I worked as a waitress from 16 to 25 years old, and I’ve always talked about wanting to go back,” she said. “So when this opportunity came up, and getting the bar up and running was going a little slower than they wanted, I said, ‘You know what? I’ll quit my job and get everything squared away.'”
Since then, the trio has transformed the building, which was rebuilt “from the studs up.” Maggie Huntwork has spent the last two years doing just about everything that’s non-construction related, whether it’s creating drink menus, training bar staff, picking out furniture, creating relationships with local vendors or managing day-to-day operations.
With New Richmond Tavern, the owners are hoping to create the kind of bar frequented by neighborhood residents where everybody knows your name. There’s plenty of beer, sure, but nicer options — like wine, cocktails and charcuterie boards — are available too.
“It’s a neighborhood tavern that has a focus on cocktails, but it still feels approachable and welcoming. It’s a place where anybody can stop in. You can get a casual beer, celebrate with cocktails, enjoy a glass of wine with friends. We want to be New Richmond’s third place,” Maggie said. “We’re really hoping it can become a place where people are here to celebrate their birthday or even just, you know, watch the Ohio State vs. Michigan game.”
One local partnership that has paid off handsomely for the trio is their collaboration with New Richmond Distillery, located directly next door. The distillery has actually moved their bottle shop inside the tavern, and their products are prominently featured on the tavern’s menu; currently, the bar’s old-fashioned featuring New Richmond Grant Whisky is their best-seller, and their ongoing summer special is a Tom Collins riff featuring the distillery’s vodka.
Another local partnership they’ve created is with nearby coffee shop Wholy Beans; the bar uses their coffee products in an espresso martini, and customers can place orders for items like sandwiches, burritos and pastries to have them hand-delivered from the coffee shop to the bar.
“We were actually really surprised with how popular cocktails have been down here. We didn’t really know what to expect. I thought it might be mostly beer and whiskey shots, but 50% of our sales right now are cocktails that feature the New Richmond Distillery products. And the ‘Wholy Martini’ is insanely popular, too.” Maggie said. “It’s been really exciting to see people embrace our menu.”
In the future, the bar plans to have its own food program; there is a kitchen inside the tavern, although construction hasn’t been completed yet. For the moment, Maggie is enjoying her return to the world of hospitality.
“I’ve found a new zest for life. It sounds so silly, but I feel like working a nine to five in an office building was honestly really draining,” she said. “This is such a fun role to have, talking to new people every day and getting to kind of run around, have a lot of energy. It’s cool being on your feet all day and serving. And you never know who’s going to walk in the door… I’m just excited to keep moving ahead and to have this energy back in my life.”
For Crousey and the Huntworks, they hope opening the tavern will draw attention to New Richmond, the “underrated” village just 20 minutes out from the city.
“New Richmond’s really unique. It has a really cute charm and feeling to it. And the riverfront is so beautiful. I feel like it’s not really top of mind for a lot of people that have never been down here. But then when they see it and they experience the charm, they get it,” Maggie said. “We’re excited to continue to grow alongside the area, and to give people another reason to spend time in New Richmond and experience everything the town has to offer. It feels like this community is on the up and up, and we’re just really grateful to be a part of it.”
