CHILLICOTHE — Fifty West Brewing Company has told customers it will not renew the lease on its downtown Chillicothe location when the agreement expires at the end of 2026. The company said “For Lease” signs will appear outside the building at 1 North Paint Street, the former Huntington Bank space it has occupied since late 2020.
In a public message titled “A Message to Our Chillicothe Community,” Fifty West said staff have been informed and that discussions about what comes next are still underway. The brewery and burger bar will remain open through the remainder of the year.
“After many conversations about the future of our space, we’ve made the difficult decision not to renew our lease when it expires at the end of this year,” the company wrote. “As for what comes next for Fifty West in Chillicothe, we don’t have that answer just yet. What we do know is that we’re still here, still open, and we hope you’ll keep hanging out with us through the remainder of the year.”
Fifty West, founded in the Cincinnati area in 2012, announced plans for a Chillicothe brewpub in April 2019. Managing partner Bobby Slattery said at the time the company would invest about $2 million to renovate the downtown building and expected to create about 30 jobs. Construction delays tied to the pandemic pushed the timeline. Soft opening events and to-go service began in late 2020. The location opened to the public in early January 2021.
Slattery described Chillicothe as a city with history and potential that reminded him of Cincinnati when Fifty West first started. Then-Mayor Luke Feeney welcomed the project as a source of jobs and downtown activity. The Chillicothe-Ross Chamber of Commerce also supported the arrival.
Over nearly six years the Paint Street location became a regular gathering place. Fifty West listed open mic nights, bike rides, art shows, collaboration brews, holiday parties, trivia nights, burgers, beers, and shakes among the activities that filled the space.
Documented community programming included monthly Carnival De L’Arts art shows, often paired with open mic hosted by Bill Scheir on the last Monday of the month. The venue also hosted trivia and Mug Club trivia nights, Mario Kart tournaments, euchre nights, music bingo, patio yoga, guided painting, kids craft days, a silent book club with Wheatberry Books, and Magic: The Gathering events. It partnered with organizers of the Chillicothe Half Marathon and 5K and the downtown Brewfest. Early events included beer stein painting with Nellie Dog Pottery & Paints and yoga with Rainbow Yoga. The location also offered Sunday brunch exclusive to Chillicothe and private-event and catering space.
Fifty West designed the two-story space with families in mind, adding a drive-thru window, an outdoor turf area that welcomes dogs, a kids menu, and milkshakes. The former bank vault was used for merchandise. The company has other locations in the Cincinnati area at Wooster Pike and in Deerfield Township.
The brewery thanked Chillicothe for welcoming it six years ago and thanked staff, past and present, “who has put so much into making this place what it is.”
Hopewell Heritage Headlines thanks Fifty West for the events, gatherings, and consistent presence it brought to downtown Chillicothe. The company has not announced whether it will seek another site in Ross County. It said it will share more information when it has it.
Current hours listed on the company’s website remain Monday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to midnight, and Sunday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., with the kitchen closing one hour earlier. Hours can vary on holidays.
