A week after the Highland Tavern announced it would temporarily close on Fridays and Saturdays, the embattled bar reopened on Friday, June 19, resuming its normal weekend business hours.
In a June 19 Instagram post, the tavern announced it would resume its normal hours, writing it was again open “every day of the year” from 4 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. The tavern owner, Jess Williams, confirmed the change.
“We said it was temporary because we didn’t know how long it would be,” she said. “But with everyone else open, we decided to reopen.”
Williams previously said her employees received the bulk of their tips after midnight, so the decision to close would have harmed her workers.
While the neighborhood’s late-night establishments agreed to close shop at midnight June 12 and 13, Williams decided not to open at all those days and suggested at the time that could become the case for more upcoming weekends. On June 18, city of Akron spokeswoman Stephanie Marsh said Highland Square bars that had voluntarily participated in the earlier last calls the previous weekend were prepared to return to typical Friday and Saturday hours June 19.
The decision to reopen came after an ongoing feud with the city
For Williams, the decision to reopen comes after other Highland Square bars closed at midnight in response to the June 7 shooting that injured two.
Akron Mayor Shammas Malik and other city officials accused the bar of violating occupancy laws and creating security concerns. Williams has denied these allegations and addressed the occupancy concerns, which she said included fixing the maximum occupancy sign and posting an occupancy certificate behind the bar.
Malik also said the city was prepared to declare the tavern a nuisance, which would shut the bar down.
Bryce Buyakie is an Akron-based reporter who covers the courts and public safety for the Beacon Journal. He can be reached by email at bbuyakie@gannett.com or on X @bryce_buyakie.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Highland Tavern reopens one week after it temporarily closed on weekends
Reporting by Bryce Buyakie, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
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By Bryce Buyakie, Akron Beacon Journal | USA TODAY Network
