Two of the Short North's longest-running LGBTQ+ nightlife institutions have new owners, and this time they're staying in the community that built them. Union Cafe at 782 N. High St. and Axis Nightclub next door at 775 N. High St. have been acquired by a group of local investors with deep ties to Columbus's queer advocacy world, ending a period of unease that began when the venues' previous owner drew a boycott over his political donations.
The sale was announced by the new ownership group, which includes Tom Grote, Michael Smithson, Dominic Bruno and Ryan Doyle, according to Columbus Underground, which first reported the transaction. Smithson, an Ohio native, publicly identified himself alongside Bruno and Doyle as primary investors and managing members working with Grote, as reported by 614NOW. The new owners say they are part of and invested in the local LGBTQ+ community, and that they believe Union Cafe and Axis deserve to thrive for generations to come, per the announcement cited by Columbus Underground.
Grote brings a long record of Central Ohio advocacy work to the deal. He co-founded the statewide group Equality Ohio in 2005 and served as co-chair of the Stonewall Builds capital campaign, according to organization records published by Stonewall Columbus. The City of Columbus also named Grote a recipient of the 2025 Shellabarger Illuminator Award for his long-term civic leadership and LGBTQ+ advocacy, according to a report cited by WCMH-TV.
A Sale Rooted in a 2023 Boycott
The ownership change closes a chapter that began in 2022, when Old Bag of Nails Pub owner Michael Purdum took over both venues. The following year, a viral TikTok video that drew more than 250,000 views sparked local boycott calls after a dismissed manager highlighted Purdum's past political contributions to Republican candidates, 614NOW reported at the time. The controversy erupted into a wider boycott and online advocacy campaign that raised questions about ownership, safe spaces and community trust.
At the height of the backlash, venue executive manager Joey Steward issued a public statement clarifying that Purdum's donations predated his acquisition of the bars, and pointed to Purdum's local sponsorship of the Columbus Coyotes and the Gay Volleyball Association, per 614NOW's original coverage. Purdum owned Union Cafe and Axis Nightclub starting in 2022, and the new sale marks his exit from both properties.
Decades of History on High Street
Union Cafe traces back to 1996, when founder Rajesh Lahoti opened the bar at 782 N. High St. Lahoti deliberately built the space with large, open windows facing directly onto High Street, making it one of the first gay bars in the nation to reject a hidden or obscured storefront, The Lantern reported in 2021. Axis Nightclub followed in 1999 at 775 N. High St., growing into a two-story dance venue and one of the Midwest's major drag performance hubs, hosting national names from RuPaul's Drag Race including Columbus's own Nina West, as highlighted in Forbes reporting. Lahoti has not owned either venue for years.
Both bars sit just blocks south of the Stonewall Columbus Community Center at 1160 N. High St., anchoring a dense LGBTQ+ civic corridor along the Short North strip, according to Stonewall Columbus. Seattle Gay News profiled Columbus in 2023 as a top Midwestern travel destination for LGBTQ+ tourists, citing Union Cafe, Axis Nightclub and the Center on High as key cultural anchors of that reputation.
What Comes Next
The new owners say they plan to reinvigorate both venues for the future while honoring their history, and describe a goal of giving patrons a place to gather, connect, celebrate and make new memories, according to the announcement. Specific changes to Union Cafe or Axis have not yet been announced, though the ownership group has indicated more details will come in the future.
For now, both bars remain open on their usual schedules. Union Cafe operates daily from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m., while Axis Nightclub is open Thursdays from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. and Friday through Sunday from 10 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. The sale lands amid a broader wave of turnover along the High Street corridor, where Winans Coffee shuttered its Short North cafe earlier this year, underscoring how much the neighborhood's commercial landscape has continued shifting even as its LGBTQ+ institutions look to put down deeper roots.
