Back in brew time: Alex Kinsman’s Old’s Cool Retro Taproom

“You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” — John Heywood

MOUNT VERNON — Well, Mr. Heywood, maybe that old dog doesn’t want to learn new tricks and likes the older, slower ways of bar life compared to today’s fast-paced nightlife.

Alex Kinsman, a Mount Vernon resident and owner of the recently opened and appropriately named Old’s Cool Retro Taproom, might ascribe to that way of thinking.

For 32 years, Kinsman has worked in local watering holes and breweries around Ohio, and for almost as long, people have told him he needs to open his own place.

That all came to fruition when Kinsman took over the old Baxter’s Wine & Whiskey space at 212 S. Main St. in downtown Mount Vernon and poured his first beer at the 12-tap taproom on Sept. 27.

Originally born in Detroit, but having grown up in Mount Vernon and Cincinnati, Kinsman realized every bar in Mount Vernon serves a certain purpose.

After working at The Corner Grill in the ’90s and 2000s, Kinsman always thought the city needed a bar to fill its shoes once it closed.

“As a patron, I’ve always wanted something like this to go to,” Kinsman said. “I worked in a bar like this before, and there really hasn’t been anything in between [when The Corner Grill closed and Old’s Cool Retro Taproom opened].”

The bar owner added that the smaller space and the absence of a kitchen are perfect for what he wants to do: create a place where people can come in, have a drink, see familiar faces and share some stories.

But when people do get hungry, the bar partnered with Dave’s Cosmic Subs next door to make a QR code for orders, and lets folks bring in food from around town.

The name, theme and building

In all honesty, Kinsman said if he had to name the bar again, he’d pick something different.

“It’s kind of a drawn-out name, so I try to shorten it. I probably should have just called it Alex’s, but I don’t have the ego for that,” Kinsman said.

A play on the words “old school,” the owner said the name just popped into his head, and he thought it would look good on a sign.

“At the time, the idea was to have beer that we used to drink when we were younger, but it turns out you can’t get that beer on tap anymore,” Kinsman said humorously.

“Then I was like, ‘OK, then we’ll just make the theme a little retro.’ I wanted something that wasn’t anything close to what you’d walk into anywhere else, and I think I accomplished that.”

Timing also played a big part in the name, theme and the building itself.

Kinsman said all the people who knew him from his time at The Corner Grill were now at the “empty nester” age and starting to go out again, so he wanted something to fit the ’80s and ’90s vibe.

However, he did say that towards the later hours of the night, he gets a younger crowd on the weekends, something he’s happy to see too.

Kinsman confessed he was originally looking at bigger spaces with the potential for outdoor space, but is very happy where he’s at.

“If this didn’t become available, I would have either made the mistake of trying to open something bigger, and probably gone into debt, and it may or may not have worked,” Kinsman said.

“But I was like, ‘Yeah, this is a good trial run.’ And it’s been working out great.”

The community’s response

Kinsman said he has two part-time employees, his bar manager, Maddie Craigo, and bartender Brittany Jackson, both of whom have been crucial to the bar’s success.

Both Craigo and Jackson came over to Old’s Cool from Baxter’s Wine & Whiskey after it closed, making for an easy transition, Kinsman said.

“They both have helped me out a lot because they both worked here before,” Kinsman said. “I trust them. It’s hard to find people in this town who know what they’re doing and you can trust, so I got lucky there on both of them.”

Together, the community’s response to the taproom’s opening has humbled the trio.

“Since I guess I’m a familiar face in the business, everybody’s first question is always, ‘Why didn’t you do this sooner?’ Everybody’s been excited that I did it,” Kinsman said.

“They’re glad that it was me who did it, which is a nice thing to hear, but it also brings a little bit of pressure to keep it up.”

Kinsman isn’t sure how opening a bar would go for someone if they weren’t from the area.

He noted that about 60% of his business comes from friends and people he knows, pointing out two of his lifelong friends sitting at each end of the bar while he spoke.

“I’m not saying that they [Kinsman’s friends] wouldn’t come if this were owned by somebody else, but it makes my job a lot easier,” Kinsman said.

Old’s Cool Retro Taproom is open 3 to 9 p.m. on Wednesdays, 3 to 10 p.m. on Thursdays, 3 to 11 p.m. on Fridays and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturdays.