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Owners John and Nancy.
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Everyone who drove by the Reynoldsburg cafe said, "Well they closed because they had no business." The folks that drove by did not realize the parking and the main entrance was in the back.
Pour House regulars knew different. You talk about a "Home away from home." This was the place. It was walking into John and Nancy's home, having a beer, a sandwich and, of course, always peanuts. Peanuts on the bar, peanuts on the tables and most of all peanut shells all over the floor.
The Pour House, 6623 E. Main Street, opened in May of 1963 with a family atmosphere that never wavered until the last draft was poured in December of 2002. Owner John Kunkler passed away and his longtime partner in life and business, Nancy Brown, followed his wishes and shut the place down.
Every single fixture was auctioned off amid many tears and wonderful stories. The famous painting of the "Hobo," was in great demand. Bidding for the neon signs almost caused a riot. The quaint ceiling fixtures made from barrels were a prized purchase.
When the Pour House opened, it had seating for 65 inside. A patio was added a few years later. A fence was erected across the front and fitted with overhead heat lamps. To this day, the Pour House is known as the place with the heat lamps.
Airman from Lockbourne Air Force Base were drawn to the patio and flocked there in droves in the sixties. Students from Capital University congregated there and were always an "ID" problem. The liquor permit was pulled so many times the owner had a sign painted just for the occasion. This sign has been donated to the Reynoldsburg-Truro Historical Society Museum.
Every holiday, year around, was celebrated and the Pour House family was always there to participate. The open fireplace had logs burning in the winter. In the summer, cold beer cooled off area ball teams.
Nancy's passive German shepherds mingled with the customers throughout the 40-year run, starting with Holly and ending with Molly. A Cleveland Brown's Dog Pound was right next to the entrance.
Local restaurant owner Mike Purdum has picked up the registered name Pour House. He opened the first, of what he expects to be a chain, next to his Old Bag of Nails in nearby Gahanna.
Owner Nancy Brown displays her thoughts.
The Pour House family of Reynoldsburg, however, is now a distant memory. The large lot is for sale and memories of wonderful times are only in hearts and minds of loyal patrons. Many of those who raised hundreds of thousands of glasses of beer in the Kunkler home.
...by Philip Vaughn
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