Studio 35’s legacy as first theater in the United States to sell alcohol

Studio 35 has been a Clintonville staple since 1938 at 3055 Indianola Ave. Credit: Courtesy of Studio 35.

From AMC to Marcus Theatres, most theatres offer drinks these days, but Clintonville’s Studio 35 was the first to do it.

Originally opened in 1938 as the Indianola Theater at 3055 Indianola Ave., Studio 35 first premiered Katharine Hepburn’s “Stage Door,” according to Studio 35’s website. Ownership of the cinema has changed several times, premiering soft-core pornography, to arthouse films and blockbusters. However, Studio 35 has a unique place in film history as the first theater in the U.S. licensed to sell alcohol in the early 1970s.

Tyler Campbell, assistant manager of Studio 35, said selling alcohol largely contributes to why the theater is still in operation over 80 years later.

“I think you need to diversify just to sort of exist in the landscape,” Campbell said. “So whether on purpose or accidentally, I think we kind of stumbled into something that allows us to exist and flourish.”

Studio 35 is currently owned by Eric Brembeck and Rita Volpi and was renovated in 2012 to add a full bar area, pizza kitchen and a second screening room, according to its website.

Campbell said Studio 35 aims to provide patrons with a memorable and entertaining experience.

“The idea is we want to be the kind of place where you can be a little irreverent and have fun with movies, and not just sit on your hands and enjoy in a peaceful way,” Campbell said.

A variety of events are hosted at the theater every month, but the most popular are beer tastings, Campbell said.

“We will do a two-hour beer tasting, often with specific breweries,” Campbell said. “And they’re catered to beer fans. We do a lot of funny stuff — we talk about the beer they’re drinking, and then you enjoy a movie afterwards. It’s definitely our most successful programming. Our December events for that are ‘A Christmas Story’ and ‘Elf. ’Those have already sold out.”

Studio 35 is currently showing World Cup games on the big screen, where Columbus soccer fans can watch upcoming matches and enjoy a beer.

“We find that the soccer community — speaking as a big soccer fan myself — soccer and beer are kind of like peanut butter and jelly, they just work really well together,” Campbell said. “Specifically, the USA games have been really exciting for us.”

Studio 35’s distinctive niche in American and Columbus history has allowed it to reach communities for decades.

“We take a lot of pride very specifically in being a member of the Clintonville community,” Campbell said. “I think that whether on purpose or on accident, the transition to more of a bar atmosphere in 2012 when we did our major renovation, we changed our lobby space into something that approaches just more of a normal bar establishment.”