Flats East Bank is getting a throwback this summer, as Barflyy, the Kent-based retro bar and arcade, moves into the former Inferno space with a full blast of early-2000s college-bar energy. The crew has been overhauling the outdoor cabanas and covering the interior in Ohio college logos and pop-culture posters, aiming for a cheaper-drinks, raised-dance-floor scene that feels more campus than riverfront chic. Workers were spotted in mid-June painting and prepping the spot while managers said they were targeting a late-June or early-July opening, pending inspections. The move lands in the middle of a larger shakeup along the riverfront entertainment strip.
According to Cleveland Scene, Barflyy plans to lean hard into early-2000s pop and dance hits while decking the space with Ohio college branding. The outlet reports the team has turned Inferno’s old VIP section into a raised dance floor and intends to price some drinks below what neighboring spots charge. Scene also notes that once it opens, Barflyy will sit alongside Good Night John Boy and Decades as the Flats’ third retro bar and dance club.
“The difference is that we’re bringing college life back to the Flats,” general manager Brittany Garner told Cleveland Scene. She called the vibe upbeat and relaxed and said management is banking on lower price points to build a steady, predictable crowd. The same article notes that the ownership group has also been renovating the neighboring Rum Runners patio, which it controls.
Flats Churn: Closures, Safety And Reopenings
It has been a turbulent run for the Flats East Bank. Multiple venues have shut down or paused operations in recent months, with Axios reporting that Inferno and Rum Runners posted closure notices and that Margaritaville has closed for good. Axios tied the slump in part to a September shooting after a Browns game that injured six people and dragged down foot traffic, and local operators told reporters that business dropped sharply afterward. Punch Bowl Social temporarily closed and has announced a July 13 reopening, according to News 5 Cleveland, while other spots along Old River Road are being renovated or relaunched.
From Kent Roots To A Riverfront Experiment
Barflyy started life in downtown Kent as a nightspot built around vintage arcade games, DJs, and late-night crowds, a setup documented in the brand’s own posts and materials dating back to 2018. Barflyy’s website lists the Kent location and highlights the retro-arcade angle that has defined the concept, while local Kent coverage has cast Brittany Garner as a familiar face in the town’s nightlife. Owners told reporters that the long lines outside the Kent bar convinced them there was enough demand to test the concept on Cleveland’s Flats.
Whether Barflyy’s nostalgia play can help stabilize the Flats will hinge on foot traffic, safety, and the neighborhood’s appetite for another high-capacity nightlife spot. For now, the team is betting that cheaper drinks, an early-2000s playlist, and that new raised dance floor will be enough to pull a consistent crowd back to Old River Road. If health inspectors give the green light, the bar could open as early as the end of June or in early July.
