THE CLUB-HOUSE

How one private social club–located in a former family home–is looking to redefine the members

only concept

By Jack McLaughlin Photos by Jen Brown Story Design by Bryce Patterson

If 80 East, the swankiest new social spot in Powell, looks like it might just be someone’s house, that’s because, at one point, it was.

And for Gretchen Bonasera, who owns the concept alongside her husband Michael, that’s exactly how she wants it to be.

Not because she’d like to lose out on potential customers who don’t realize what they’re driving by, but because she and Michael care more about cultivating the right atmosphere.

The Powell spot is one of several new members-only clubs that are quietly ushering in a brand-new era of social clubs, redefining them as spots that care more about experience than exclusivity, and clubs you definitely don’t need your pinky up in the air for. →

A House Club Divided

Depending on which door you use to enter 80 East, you’ll find yourself in one of two distinctively different locales.

One of them is a sleek, contemporary common area that features an upscale bar packed with just about every label of liquor you could ask for, all set against massive, full-wall windows overlooking an idyllic Powell ravine.

The other is a Victorian drawing room, complete with oneof-a-kind antique furniture, and the cozy, vaguely mysterious atmosphere that comes from this style of home. Because, according to Gretchen Bonasera, the concept was a home before she and her husband purchased it.

“When we bought the property two years ago, it was just a house. It was built in 1904,” she said. “We loved the history, and we saw the potential.”

What the Bonaseras also loved was how separate and partitioned each of its rooms felt, as if each area was its own, totally unique space, linked together by a series of winding, tunnel-like hallways.

So when the pair expanded the building—growing its floor plan from just over 1,300 square feet to approximately 5,000–they left the home, and its labyrinth of rooms, intact.

The addition, which broke ground last November, added the entire new bar space and (and new, adjoining patios) to the home as it was. And if this doesn’t lend itself to a necessarily smooth transition when navigating both sections of the building, that’s because it deliberately isn’t one.

“We like the bar space as a common area. If you want to socialize and meet other people, and you’re fine with a little bit of noise, it’s perfect for that,” Gretchen said. “We see the other rooms, the rooms in the home, as private spaces for individuals or small groups. That’s why we left all the original doors on, so each one could feel like its own.”

It’s apparent when moving from 80 East’s polished new bar space to its individual meeting rooms that you’re stepping over a threshold, but it also feels like you’re stepping back in time. From the furniture to the intimate arrangement of each individual room, the house 80 East was built upon still feels like a home.

Drinking History

↑ The first (top) and second (bottom) floors of 80 East's common area ↓

For the Bonaseras, this was a huge selling point of the unique property at the corner of North High Street and East Powell Road.

“We loved finding a place like this because you can feel the history of it,” Gretchen said. “We specialize in serving bourbon, which is so rich in history itself, so that there’s a connection there.”

Under the guidance of Beverage Director Nate Howe, 80 East highlights a huge variety of bourbon and other spirits, from hard-to-source bottles to familiar, everyday brands. Flights of bourbon are available, in addition to wine by the glass and rotating cocktails like the Toasted Rye Tai (Old Forester Rye, Toasted Sesame Orgeat, Dry Curacao and lime) and Fall Foliage (Knob Creek Rye, Vermouth Rosso and black walnut).

The new social spot will also serve food from a concise menu of small bites and shareable plates prepared in its inhouse kitchen, offering everything from charcuterie to dessert cocktails and bourbon truffles.

“It’s the perfect spot to come before or after dinner,” Gretchen Bonasera said. “We’re within walking distance of places like Daily Growler and Novella Osteria, and we’re all in the same DORA.”

Join the Club

80 East is one of several newer Members Only clubs in Columbus, alongside No Soliciting and Prive Members Lounge, which recently opened inside of Chophouse 614.

The concept, which has undergone a soft opening in multiple phases, is expected to hold its official grand opening on Nov. 1. And while the Bonaseras are putting a hard cap of 200 members on the new Powell spot (although members are allowed to bring a certain number of guests), that doesn’t mean the space will feel stuffy or overtly-exclusionary.

“Whenever the membership waiting list gets too long, we’ll start another club,” Gretchen said with a laugh.

For the Bonaseras, the club has been a dream of theirs for 12 years now. And while the term “members only” can itself feel a bit haughty, 80 East isn’t embracing the exclusionary aspect or the atmosphere of bravado that can sometimes give similar spots a bad name. Instead, Gretchen said her and Michael are relying on their decades of hospitality experience to create the concept they think will be best. "The idea of a private club can be a hurdle, but we’re not doing it to be better than anyone else; We’re not doing it to exclude anyone,” she said. “What we’ve learned is that this is the best way to create relationships, when seeing a lot of the same people like this. And that’s what we’re most excited about. The way we look at it, we just have 200 regulars.”