By Mick Dillon / The Jambar
Downtown Youngstown has been the emphasis of revitalization for a number of years now, and a few key businesses have played instrumental roles in bringing people back to the heart of the city.
Lack of community events paired with frequent construction has limited traffic to downtown Youngstown in recent years, and local businesses are trying to find solutions to bring people back into a city that once had a vibrant nightlife.
Imbibe Martini Bar was first opened in 2005 by owners Jeffrey Kurz and Brad Schwartz, and in 2014, they opened Ryes Craft Beer & Whiskey on the second floor of the same Federal Street building. General Manager Jordi Dando was onboarded to oversee both bars in 2015 and said the downtown scene has seen plenty of changes since she joined.
“There were a lot more bars downtown when I started,” Dando said. “There [is] definitely quite a bit more activity downtown when there’s more bars and people have more options.”
With what feels to most like a constant rotating cast of failed businesses downtown — Gringo’s Tacos, Tequila & Mezcal Bar, The Cell and O’Donold’s — Dando said Imbibe and Ryes emphasize dependability to maintain a steady flow of customers.
“We try to be consistent with products, prices and hours,” Dando said. “Consistency with hours is a huge thing and something that we’re struggling with downtown right now … When people come downtown on a Friday night and there’s only three bars open, they’re not going to choose to come downtown the following Friday night.”
Penguin City Brewing Co. has been piloting its own nightlife resurgence since its doors opened in 2021, but customers tend to stay there on the outskirts of downtown rather than spending time at other local businesses down the road.
Dando said some form of city transportation could be a key factor in getting people to hop back and forth between Penguin City and other bars downtown.
“It would be really great if there was … transportation from like a shuttle running from Penguin City to the other bars to maybe connect them more,” Dando said. “[People aren’t] walking to the bar three-quarters of a mile down.”
With city-planned events being a contributing factor of downtown Youngstown’s nightlife woes, Dando said people would be more inclined to see the city if there were more things to do.
“It’d be great to have city organized events. Something that the city takes ownership of,” Dando said. “During the warm months, there should be something happening at [The Youngstown Foundation Amphitheatre] Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday every freaking week.”
While concerts and event calendars seem sparse downtown, locals can still look forward to the annual events of the St. Patrick’s Day bar crawl March 14 and Federal Frenzy on April 18. Several bars downtown, including Imbibe and Ryes, are expected to participate in the festivities.