Bethel Road doesn’t boast quite as much action-per-mile as Lane Avenue, but it’s close. Both are relatively short roads which have nonetheless packed a ton of firepower into their compact arsenals. The main differences are in size, as both end/begin at Riverside Drive, yet Bethel’s other terminus is at 315 – Lane continues well past that, to High and then Summit. Also, owing to its proximity to campus, Lane Avenue counts many more iconic sights along the way, either directly upon it or within view. Still, it’s definitely possible that nowhere has more personal history for me, whether by the inch or as a sum, than Bethel Road, which is probably why it’s taken me so long to tackle this project – which I’m only slightly getting into at the moment. I used to be in favor of compiling biblical epics of info before publishing a page, but have reconsidered that strategy here lately. Now I would rather go to press with whatever skeletal material I have handy, but then frequently update it. If nothing else, I think this makes it more interesting for the reader.
Regarding this page, we’ll start from the 315 end. Nothing much happens after you get off at the Bethel Road exit, apart from crossing over 315 itself (if driving northbound at that time), so this particular journey begins after passing the Olentangy River Road intersection. The KFC on the corner (711 Bethel) and the BP station across the street (5067 Olentangy River Rd) have been here since at least the late 90s, effective symbolic guardposts opening the door to you for everything that follows.
click arrows to turn on Olentangy
747 Bethel Road
Micro Center
The font for this computer store is pure 90s,
which looks amazing. In many respects I can’t
believe this place is still here.
767 Bethel Road
among the buildings in front of the strip mall. Currently a Massage Envy, was once a Blockbuster Video.
769 Bethel Road
Olentangy Plaza. In the late 90s there was an art gallery back here somewhere, that I visited once under weird circumstances: my coworker Joe at the “Bethel Road” Kroger had a friend who was trying to fix him up with some chick who worked here. He asked me to swing by here under the pretense of shopping for art, but really to scope out this woman. And report back to him with my findings, if she was any good looking or not. This may have been Copeland Fine Art, but I’m not entirely sure.
The first set of businesses, in the building nearest Olentangy River Road, have an Olentangy address. After that, as it wraps around from Micro Center in an arc to the right, these all belong to Bethel. There used to be a beloved Kmart back here but I think it sat where the Taylor House high-rise apartment is now, and therefore probably had an Olentangy address too.
833 Bethel Road
Formerly a business that is technically registered as Music-Go-Round, although you might also find it indexed under The Smarmy Jackass Zone. I recall one day my good friend Damon drifted through my workplace pretty fired up about his interactions with the help at this location. Then a couple years later I ventured through these doors and was given a healthy dose of this bitter medicine myself. I realize all the trendiest people work in second hand music equipment stores in the suburbs, but come on.
839 Bethel Road
Kai’s Crab Boil at present. In 1997 it was Holcomb’s Educational Materials.
1092 Bethel Road: The Refectory
Award winning restaurant is basically a C-bus institution at this point. It opened in 1976 and has been here ever since.
1138 Bethel Road:
Is currently Gogi Korean BBQ
used to be Bumpers, a curiously lively bar considering it didn’t look like much on the outside.
1270 Bethel Road: The apartment where it all started! This was home base for the first new group of friends I made, upon moving to Columbus in January ’97. Sometimes it seems so improbable that I would ever meet these people, sometimes inevitable. Lisa, Maria, Doug, Mike and Junior were the five roommates at the time I arrived on this scene. In various combinations they were here for a handful of years, at least, with plenty of others coming and going. Some of them moved up the road to another apartment in ’98.
Above is what it looked like in the mid-late 90s. The exterior is pretty much the same. It does appear that they ripped out this tree at some point and planted a pine instead – this tree (or possibly one beside it) is notable in that this random drunk chick fell out of it one night whilst attempting to spy on some dude in the next apartment over. Then strolled into the one where we were partying instead, joined us for a spell, threw up in the bathroom and left.
The living room is behind the ground floor window here. And that would have been Maria’s bedroom up above, beyond the second floor window. Lisa had the other official bedroom, on the back end of the place. Doug and Mike were on the two couches, at the time I made their acquaintance, and Junior was living in the basement. One cool feature is this bay window in the kitchen side wall, too, though you can’t see it here. Parties were legion at this place and occasionally even spilled out into the parking lot.
1299 Bethel Road:
At one point housed Video Central, a mighty convenient and oft frequented spot when living nearby.
1355 Bethel Road
La Casita: was formerly Harold’s Cajun Glory Cafe or whatever. Looks basically the same from the outside.
And before that was once a Long John Silver’s! Which I think you can still detect traces of, on the outside.
1375 Bethel Road
The Forge Tavern: this is where Polo’s used to be.
1380 Bethel Road
Former home of 55 Grille. Is now a Sheetz station.
1381 Bethel Road
Used to belong to this funky little Pizza Hut franchise, which might have even been delivery only, I’m not sure. Notorious in that Roy, Doug Fogle and I once caught a ride over to DiMarco’s from here, in a delivery girl’s truck, in a heavy downpour.
1401 Bethel Road: has been a Marathon for an eternity. Was once “Wayne’s Marathon” although I’m not sure if Wayne is still in the mix or not. As this pertains to personal/collective folklore, immediately after I stopped seeing Stacy, in the early 2000s, she started dating this Damon guy (not my dear old pal of the same name) who worked here. He was friends with Maria somehow and this is how they struck up an acquaintance. As far as I know they are still together, too
1480 Bethel Road: Coaches Bar & Grill
Still going strong after all this time! One of the last bars on this road with the same name it had in the 1990s (and possibly earlier). Not the most remarkable place, perhaps, but a great location and the owners must apparently have their act together. At one time, I’m not sure if he still does, but a fellow named Dave Matthews owned the place. Back in the day, they had “Melrose Mondays” here, whereby the latest Melrose Place episodes were aired with the sound on. Much to the consternation of anyone who maybe hoped to listen to the jukebox instead – like for example, us, as I do remember our small group leaving during one of these incidents.
1512 Bethel Road:
In ye ancient times, was once a Radio Shack
1515 Bethel Road
Enchanted Hands (suite #301) is but one of the residents at this address. Which I know because they recently sent me a friend request on Instagram – that’s pretty much all it takes to grab my attention. Hey, you’ve got to do what you can to rise above the muck these days! So their efforts are appreciated. Let this be a lesson to you fellow business owners out there…
1536 Bethel Road: Bethel Center
This is the address given to the “center” as an abstract, collective entity. Some occupants have Bethel Road addresses, some Bethel Center Mall. KPOT Korean BBQ sits where a mighty popular BW3 location once did. Although not too popular, obviously.
1540 Bethel Road:
I almost forget there used to be a Cooker Bar & Grille here, despite eating at this location a handful of times. It was okay enough to visit every now and then. But what really sticks out in your mind, ultimately, about any place? Incidents like the time Paul and I were here for lunch and I ordered a draft beer, which was served with a huge chunk of food stuck to the inside of the glass, on the side. You couldn’t miss it. Sadly enough, that’s the first thing that always pops into my mind whenever I think about this restaurant. Not to make excuses for these guys (I would later work at a different location and have reasons to doubt ownership’s competence) but this is what you’re up against, if trying to make it in the cutthroat restaurant biz. You can’t possibly have eyes on every employee all the time. You just have to trust you’re hiring people who know better than to serve chunks of food inside their beer glasses.
Once again, the “Bethel Road” Kroger technically has a Crown Plaza address, so I’ll refrain from going into much detail here. But this is where it would sit on our journey. Up above is what it looks like in more modern times. The fuel center in front did not originally exist. For much, much more about this place you can visit my Bethel Road Kroger page.
And now we move on to the Carriage Place shopping center. Below is the basic shape of it, along with some key highlights pinned. Big Bear was of course a centerpiece of this plaza for quite some time, before they went belly up.
As far as personal highlights, one day I was stuck wearing sandals to work, a prospect Kroger management wasn’t too happy about. Having walked there that morning to begin with (a fantastic tale in its own right) I was forced to take a long break and traipse up to Carriage Place to buy some shoes. On my way back, I was just cutting through the parking lot of this bank (doesn’t appear to be here any longer) and some unknown dude in the drive through line started blowing his horn at me, repeatedly, and pointing. I finally figured out what he was trying to tell me: there were a bunch of dollar bills blowing around in the parking lot. I gave him a thankful wave, scooped them up, and kept walking.
Amusingly enough, Mike Nelson would later tell me he saw me walking up Bethel Road this fine morning and wondered what on earth I was up to. Although come to think of it, I’m not entirely sure why he didn’t pull over and offer me a lift.
2524 Bethel Road: O’Manny’s Pub
It’s down to I think this and Coaches as far as what’s lasted longer on this strip – I’m not sure which came first.
2544 Bethel Road
Former home of a Trading Zone. I remember Jill and I ventured in here one day to trade in a boatload of old movies and such. We got some Mario game for the Nintendo 64 and I forget what else. Pretty sure this was also the day I picked up a VHS copy of The Empire Strikes Back with the original artwork, believing it to be a “collector’s item.” Let’s just say I’ve yet to find a taker.
2570 Bethel Road:
formerly a Cinemark Movies 12. I don’t know if this was always the case, but by the late 90s they had already turned into a second run theater, albeit with movies that weren’t too terribly old. I saw approximately half a bazillion flicks in here, it seems. Particularly after getting on this kick where, if working a split shift (either at the same job or between two different ones) in the area, with a large enough gap between, I would dip into here to catch a cheap movie rather than driving home or something.
2640 Bethel Road:
somewhat of a cursed location. It was B Street Grill for a while, where my good pal Clif Davis was working at the time (alongside such luminaries as Colin Gawel of Watershed fame). Then a short lived Banana Joe’s operation, one of at least three around town. After that I think some other bar I vaguely remember possibly visiting, then possibly a couple other things after that, and now a Tire Discounters.
The addresses here don’t entirely make sense, because this is a standalone building up by the road, while the next (2642) is tucked into the strip mall behind it.
2642 Bethel Road: Half Price Books
Probably my second-most visited location. More spacious than the Lane Avenue one, yet I always seemed to find less of interest here, somehow. Don’t quote me on this, but I think this location may have actually moved at one point from a different spot in the same strip mall.
