M ay 2 0 1 6 • M a r i e m o n t, O h i o • Vo l u m e X L , N o .
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Why is there no English Pub in Mariemont?
The space formerly occupied by the Village Kitchen remains vacant on the Square.
By Rex Bevis It is quite obvious that Mariemont is an English Village. English Tudor-style homes abound, there is a prominent English-style Inn, and an overall English feel to the Village Square and the Strand. So why isn’t there an English-style pub in Mariemont? I had the opportunity to sit down recently with Dan Spinnenweber, Sr., owner of the Mariemont Inn, The Strand, and much of the north portion of the Village Square to discuss “the vacant space on the Square.” Dan and I were joined in our meeting by
sons Dan, Jr. and Bill who are key members along with Dan, Sr. in the Spinnenweber enterprises. It has been over ten years since the Village Kitchen vacated their location on the Square and this valuable location still remains vacant. Dan, Sr. talked me through the history of this specific location in the context of the surrounding properties. When Spinnenweber Builders, Inc. (SBI) purchased the north Square properties in 1996, the rental strategy was to develop two highvolume restaurants, one on either side of the Mariemont Theater. These restaurants were Th e
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to produce adequate income to support a long term lower rent structure to insure the retention of the Mariemont Theater. In 2004 the operator of the Village Kitchen wanted to retire and had little interest in running a late evening operation. The Village Kitchen moved out (over to the Plainville site which is now FlipDaddy’s) and Spinnenweber Builders redeveloped the location into a larger venue which would support the original goal, another high-volume restaurant compatible with the existing Quarter Restaurant.
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