Union Cafe, at 782 N. High St., and Axis Nightclub, at 775 N. High St., two of Columbus’s most well-known LGBTQ+ venues, have new ownership, acquired by a group of local LGBTQ+ community members. The sale was announced on Union Cafe’s social media, describing the move as returning two of the city’s iconic institutions back into community hands.
The businesses are now led by three managing partners: Michael Smithson, founder and CEO of Columbus-based On Air Communications; Ryan Doyle, managing partner at Runway Services; and Dominic Bruno, North American director of regional development for BWH Hotels. Smithson said a group of five additional investors is also quietly supporting the purchase behind the scenes.
Union Cafe opened in 1996 as one of Columbus’s first LGBTQ+ bars, with founder Rajesh Lahoti opening Axis Nightclub as its sister venue across the street two years later. Both have remained gathering spots for central Ohio’s LGBTQ+ community for decades, with Union known for its weekly drag shows and Axis serving as the city’s largest LGBTQ+ nightclub. Lahoti sold both bars in 2022 to Michael Purdum, owner of Old Bag of Nails Pub, whose ownership drew criticism in 2023 after past donations to Republican political campaigns surfaced publicly, though bar management at the time pushed back on claims that Purdum was unsupportive of the community.
According to Columbus Underground, the new ownership group said its goal is to honor what’s made the venues special while thoughtfully reinvigorating both spaces for the future, a message that’s drawn a wave of enthusiastic reaction from longtime patrons online.
