When is a bar not just a bar?

MEGHAN GOTH | LINK nky MANAGING EDITOR

Attorneys representing now-shuttered Bourbon Haus owners Dave and Tammy Brumfield and their landlord, Kim Wolf, appeared in Kenton Circuit Court Jan. 17 for a hearing in a lawsuit that has been going on for almost a year.

The Brumfields have been in an ongoing feud with Wolf and Paddy’s on Main owner Chris Estano, whose bar shares a common wall with the space where Bourbon Haus formerly operated. The bars, at 520 and 522 Main Street in Mainstrasse, have been feuding over music, air conditioners – and now the wooden bar – since soon after Estano moved into 520 Main in mid 2021.

The feuds were put on full public display Jan. 1, when the Brumfields posted on Facebook that they would be permanently closing the bar. The Brumfields pointed the finger at Estano and Wolf in the post — Estano for essentially what they called being a bad neighbor (Estano denies all accusations) and Wolf, who they say reneged on their lease agreement (Wolf also denies all accusations).

But it turns out neither directly caused the bar’s closure. In the end, it came down to a liquor license.

The exchange in court Jan. 17 between both parties’ attorneys was a microcosm of the ongoing dispute between the Brumfields and Wolf, which began when the landlord informed the owners of Bourbon Haus she wouldn’t be renewing their lease at 522 Main St. in Mainstrasse in January of 2022.

“Are they moved out?” Judge Mary Malloy asked the Brumfields’ attorney, Katy Lawrence at the hearing, referring to whether the Brumfields had moved their business out of 522 Main.

“They are with the exception of the bar,” Lawrence replied.

“So does that mean they’re out?” said Ryan Hemmerle, representing Wolf.

“With the exception of the bar,” Lawrence said.

“So has possession been returned to JKB?” Hemmerle asked. JKB Properties is the LLC that owns the bar – that LLC is registered to Wolf.

Lawrence said she didn’t believe so.

“Either they’re out or they’re not,” Malloy said.

The physical wooden bar has been a point of contention as the Brumfields have closed Bourbon Haus. The Brumfields say the bar belongs to them; Wolf said, in court documents, that the bar is considered a fixture and, per the lease agreement, is part of the building itself.

Hemmerle said Malloy ruled the bar was a fixture, but will write her official decision in the next week or so.

The hearing lasted only minutes, and Hemmerle said afterward that he was “pleased the judge has vindicated our rights. We are looking forward to a speedy resolution.”

In a conversation with LINK, Tammy Brumfield said Wolf “was demanding that we leave our 150-year-old antique bar, which was deemed to be a piece of furniture that was owned by us.”