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Hookah lounge coming to Oxford
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By Oriana Pawlyk,
Contributing Writer
Updated 1:57 PM Wednesday, February 24, 2010
OXFORD – The Oxford Hookah Lounge plans to open Uptown at the end of March, becoming the first business of its kind in the area.
Owner Tony Edas and his partner Alex Riahi are anticipating a successful turnout for the business as they become the first in the area to serve hookah, a way of smoking tobacco where the smoke is filtered through water and inhaled through one or multiple pipes.
“It is hard to predict who this will truly appeal to at first, but there has been great feedback from students and everything we hear has been positive so far,” Edas said.
“We are legal, we follow procedure with the health department, but everyone is going to have their opinions about it, both positive and negative,” Riahi added.
The opening is anticipated for the end of March at the old Bruno’s building, directly in the alley behind Chase bank on High Street.
“We want it to open and students want it to open before they leave for the summer or before they graduate. Hopefully this will be a place to have a good memory,” Edas said.
Requests for a hookah lounge have been the number one frequent request geared toward the Oxford economic development director, Alan Kyger.
The challenge for establishing a hookah facility over the years was the Ohio non-smoking state policy.
Retail tobacco stores need more than 80 percent of their gross revenue to be the sale of cigars, cigarettes, pipes or other smoking devices for burning tobacco, according to a section of the Ohio Revised Code.
“Not only this, but they have to be located in a freestanding building and cannot share use with another business,” Kyger said. The new hookah lounge needs to be freestanding to comply with the state law.
“The City of Oxford has no rules on hookah itself, the facility just needs to meet these standards and zoning rules,” Kyger said.
“I don’t think the hookah bar will appeal to students only, but this is something very popular for the college community,” Kyger said. “This is business for the community, and you want everybody supporting a business.”
Kyger said this is something different and exciting for the community.
“It may not appeal to me personally, but I think it should exist for those who do enjoy it or would like to try it,” Kyger said.
The Uptown location also makes it easier for students and residents to walk from place to place.
“This is something different than a bar, and it’s definitely worth checking out,” said sophomore Holly Smith. “This is a different atmosphere, and because of its location, it will cater to different audiences.”
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11:55 PM, 6/14/2010
Lesser of two evils, perhaps.
Cultural experience, even. Beats binging on Nattie Light.
7:49 AM, 6/6/2010
9:20 PM, 2/24/2010
9:49 PM, 2/23/2010
3:00 AM, 2/23/2010