By KAREN M. PUCKETT

     If you ask any Miami University alumni from the Class of 1947 to the Class of 2002 where they grab a beer when they visit Oxford, chances are they’ll all have the same reply: Mac and Joe’s.

     For over 56 years this local hot spot, currently owned by Todd Hollenbaugh, has been a place to gather with friends.

     “When I bought this bar, I bought more than 50 years of tradition…Students come here to make memories, and alumni come back to relive them,” said Hollenbaugh.

     Shortly after World War II, Miami was flooded with veterans being educated on the G.I. Bill. When the soldiers came to the dry town of Oxford, many were angry that there was no place in the city to have a beer.

     Although prohibition ended nationally in 1933, Oxford took decades to allow liquor sales again.

     Stories vary on the actual dates of Oxford’s repeal of prohibition. Some assert that the city became “wet” after the soldiers came back from war. Others say Oxford was basically dry until ’37 when the 3.2 beer law was passed.

     Mac and Joe’s is believed to be the oldest bar still in operation in Oxford, and the first opened after prohibition.

     Started by two locals, John McFall and Joe Beinford, the bar was an instant success with the students. It was trendy, yet quaint. Students could visit the upstairs bar to have a beer with buddies, or go to the Zebra Room, located downstairs, and have a candle-light dinner with a date. The Zebra room was a typical ‘50s-style lounge, with oversized booths, a black-and-white décor and candles galore.

     “Mac’s used to be a really nice restaurant. The main bar is upstairs now, but the downstairs used to be the place to be,” explained Hollenbaugh.

 The top level of Mac and Joe’s is now where students get together to socialize and have drinks with friends. The large wooden booths and bar give a cozy feeling that is exclusive to this establishment. Unlike the typical college bars, which are much larger with neon signs and flashing lights, Mac and Joe’s feels more like an English tavern. It is littered with sports memorabilia, mainly from Miami’s hockey team, that Hollenbaugh has collected during his years traveling with the team.

      “I used to do all of the stats for the hockey team…but now that I am busy with my businesses I only do home games. Over the years I went to places like Czechoslovakia, Sweden and Alaska with the team,” said Hollenbaugh.

     When he came to Oxford as a student in 1969, Hollenbaugh fell in love with the campus. He was working his way towards a degree in history, doing odd jobs around town.

     “I started at Mac’s in ’72 as a bartender, then I became a manager. I stayed there to run the place after graduation…Then I was fired…Now I’m the owner…That’s poetic justice,” he laughed.

     When Hollenbaugh purchased Mac and Joe’s in 1992, the landmark was in shambles. It had no furnace or air conditioning, and the walls were deteriorating.
     
      “The place was falling apart; I dropped a quarter of a million dollars in renovations,” he said.

     Four months after closing for reconstruction, Mac and Joe’s re-opened. Hollenbaugh was careful to keep the original plan of the bar intact. The bathrooms and kitchen all stayed in their original locations, and the main bar, although slightly pushed forward, stayed upstairs.

     “I wanted to keep the same layout for alumni…When they come back to visit, this touchstone from their past is still the same,” he explained.

     Mac and Joe’s isn’t Hollenbaugh’s first business venture. In 1975, when he was fired from Mac and Joe’s, opportunity fell into his lap. A small student delivery service, cleverly named SDS, came up for sale. SDS delivered everything from pizza to beer, just as they do today, and they were located in the alley behind Mac and Joe’s. Members of the senior class at Miami ran the service every year. They paid no taxes and technically were not a legitimate business.

     “I was jobless…so I thought ‘What the hell,’ and that’s how it all began,” he said.

That carefree attitude has gotten Hollenbaugh where he is today. He owns the company that runs SDS, Circle Bar, Steinkeller and of course, Mac and Joe’s. His company, Essenza, is named for the German phrase “Eat pizza.” Hollenbaugh comes from German heritage, and he spent time in Germany going to school. Steinkeller was inspired by that time in his life.

     “One of my favorite bars in Germany was Steinhaus or ‘stone house’, so when this spot became available, Steinkeller just fit. Stein means ‘stone’ and Keller means ‘basement,’” explained Hollenbaugh.

     Steinkeller is located in the basement of the John Minnis Building on High Street. This new structure was built to replace the historic Prows Building that once housed Bruno’s Pizza and Subway as well as student residences. During the summer of 1996, the building burnt down in a devastating fire that left these businesses ruined and students without a home.

     “After Bruno’s burned down, they began rebuilding the old place…They decided to dig a basement; I had the opportunity to buy it and did…I decided to not make the usual dark, dirty basement bars that are scattered all over campus…One night I sat up in bed and thought ‘Steinkeller’,” said Hollenbaugh.

Hollenbaugh manages his businesses in every way. From overseeing 140 employees, to coming up with menu items, this man does it all.

     “I had no formal business training, but I always had a knack for it…What I know I learned from experience…from traveling abroad to working in a grocery store and learning about produce,” he explained.

     Oxford became the land of opportunity for Hollenbaugh. By owning local businesses, especially Mac and Joe’s, he knows he is a piece of a legacy that will be here for years to come.

     “I could own a bar in Cincinnati or any other city, but I love this place…There’s so much history, and the students have so much energy. Living in Oxford keeps me young."