*Editor's note: This story has been edited to include a statement from 3CDC.
There will soon be a hole in the heart of Over-the-Rhine's Main Street with the closure of community-minded bar The Hub OTR.
The Hub's owner Lindsey Swadner, known for her brash call-outs of politicians and neighborhood developers, announced The Hub would no longer move to a nearby location as previously announced.
"I know this will come as a shock for some- but we’re not moving next door," Swadner said in an April 2 Instagram post announcing the closure. "At some point I came to terms that I am genuinely unhappy here."
A change of plans
Swadner announced plans to move The Hub from 1209 Main St. to 1215 Main St. sometime this year. The new location, which was previously occupied by St. John 3:16 Baptist Church, was purchased by Swadner because it could accommodate more concertgoers for The Hub's often sold-out shows. After news of The Hub's closure broke, Redditors called out Swadner for previously raising money for improvements to The Hub's original home, which she hoped to buy from the business's landlords.
But Swadner told CityBeat the $4,700 she raised went towards much-needed floor repairs at 1209 Main St., and had nothing to do with her purchasing the old St. John church later that same year.
Swadner told CityBeat there are multiple reasons she chose to close The Hub, but plans to move the bar into the old St. John church changed once a neighborhood mainstay closed at the end of 2023.
"We're not gonna talk about the crowdfunding campaign they ran a while back to 'save the Hub,' allowing them to buy the neighboring building? I get that things can change, but it's pretty fucked that they just took the money and ran," one Redditor commented.
But Swadner told CityBeat the $4,700 she raised went towards much-needed floor repairs at 1209 Main St., and had nothing to do with her purchasing the old St. John church later that same year.
"We had severe water damage. We had a lot of problems in that space," she said. "People do this all the time."
"The moment that they decided to kick out Urban Eden was a moment I decided to leave, and I will say that fully with my whole heart," she said. "Julie Fay been around longer than 3CDC has been on the street or been in this area."
CityBeat reached out to Fay who said Urban Eden was not pushed out by 3CDC, but did say it's "hard to run a business" on Main Street, especially in the age of online shopping.
"There's not enough foot traffic," Fay said. "One of the things that we're trying to do is fill some of the storefronts, and that's been going on for a long time."
CityBeat reached out to Fay who said Urban Eden was not pushed out by 3CDC, but did say it's "hard to run a business" on Main Street, especially in the age of online shopping.
"There's not enough foot traffic," Fay said. "One of the things that we're trying to do is fill some of the storefronts, and that's been going on for a long time."
Joe Rudemiller, vice president of marketing and communications for 3CDC, reached out to CityBeat after this story was published, saying Urban Eden was never a 3CDC tenant and the developer never owned the building.
What's next?
As for who will fill the space The Hub was planning to occupy, Swadner said she will be putting the space on the market soon and selecting a buyer who believes in Main Street.
"I'm not just selling it to anybody," she said. "I really don't care what anyone does with it, as long as it's somebody who wants to like actually be a part of the community."
As for Swadner, she said she's moving "across the country" to settle into a new community, while taking some of her Hub family members with her.
"I've always been very lucky to have friends who just happen to also work with me as coworkers," she said. "Once we started talking about leaving, my staff essentially was just like, 'And I'm coming with you. And we're moving together.'"
As for Swadner, she said she's moving "across the country" to settle into a new community, while taking some of her Hub family members with her.
"I've always been very lucky to have friends who just happen to also work with me as coworkers," she said. "Once we started talking about leaving, my staff essentially was just like, 'And I'm coming with you. And we're moving together.'"
In the meantime, Swadner is preparing a lineup of shows and events to give The Hub a proper send-off, including drag shows, live music and an "everything-must-go" yard sale of The Hub's bar collection, including "haunted objects" and pieces from the bar's iconic taxidermy collection.
And the ghost who Swadner said famously haunts The Hub?
And the ghost who Swadner said famously haunts The Hub?
"I hope he comes with me," she said.
The Hub's last day of business will be April 30.
