Local businesses stayed open amidst frigid temperatures during Winter Storm Fern

Helena Hennessy
Thu, 29 Jan 2026 04:07:11 +0000
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A man walks past Buckeye Donuts on Sunday, one of the few businesses open on campus that day. Credit: Daniel Bush | Campus Photo Editor

This weekend, Columbus received about a foot of snow, which blanketed High Street and its residing local businesses. Though many of those establishments were forced to close their doors, some — rather ambitiously — remained open.?

Winter Storm Fern resulted in Ohio State holding virtual classes Monday and Tuesday,?per prior Lantern reporting. In addition, dining facilities on campus were limited. To combat these campus closures, some local businesses chose to open their doors to shivering Ohio State students.?

Jimmy Barouxis, owner of Buckeye Donuts at 1998 N. High St., said weather events such as these serve to ignite a sense of community.

“That’s what Buckeye Donuts is at its core,” Barouxis said. “It’s in our DNA to be open — to stay open for the public. Where are they going to go? If they haven’t got a place to go, they can count on us.”?

The eatery, which is typically open 24/7, kept its promise — apart from Sunday night when they ran out of food to serve, Barouxis said.

“We started running out of food — like prepped food, stuff that was prepped to serve,” Barouxis said. “Then basically, the menu kind of collapses.”?

Threes Above High — a dive bar at 2203 N. High St. — also used the snow emergency as a chance to unite its community. The bar opened both Sunday and Monday night, according to an Instagram post.?

“Our brand has always been about making memories, and a snow day is something everyone remembers from childhood as fun and special,” Scott Ellsworth, owner of Threes, said in an Instagram direct message.?

Barouxis shared these feelings of nostalgia in recounting his family’s experience with the Great Blizzard of 1978 — one of Ohio’s worst blizzards in history that occurred 47 years before Monday’s storm, according to a WCMH-TV NBC4 article. The record-breaking blizzard resulted in Columbus accumulating 28 total inches of snow.?

“[My dad] ran this place with my aunt,” Barouxis said. “They were trapped because there was a huge blizzard, and they had a line — everything was closed. From what I heard, they had a partial power outage. This was the only shop open.”

Barouxis said his family’s efforts, and the people they were able to bring together, made for a magical experience.?

“My dad was in the back making donuts, and my aunt was working the front counter,” Barouxis said. “They were young at the time, and my dad couldn’t make donuts fast enough. They weren’t expecting to be that busy. They were here 18 to 20-some hours each. My aunt tells me the story every Christmas.”

Threes also viewed the weather as a reason to celebrate the Ohio State community. The bar used its Instagram account to inform students of each night’s celebration — sharing multiple posts.?

“We leaned into themes,” Ellsworth said, as the bar put a spin on what would have been a typical night. “Pajamas on Sunday, jerseys and joggers on Monday, and people really understood the assignment.”?

Ellsworth said he is grateful for the efforts of his staff, who made the festivities possible.?

“We’re fortunate to have a team willing to step up and make that possible because without them, we couldn’t do this,” Ellsworth said. “Owners also picked up staff for work so no one had to walk or drive in unsafe conditions.”?

Barouxis echoed the same gratitude, as Buckeye Donuts operated with a team of six employees over the course of the weekend.?

“A lot of our employees — they walk,” Barouxis said. “Some employees drove together, whoever had the biggest vehicle picked up some people. The rest walked. We were ready to rock and roll.”?

Both local businesses said the choice to stay open throughout the snow storm was a worthy one.

“It was a 10-out-of-10 experience,” Ellsworth said. “We’re incredibly grateful for our staff and our loyal, almost cult-like following who always show up for our dumb ideas.”

Barousix said both the students and Buckeye Donuts need each other.?

“It’s trust,” Barouxis said. “They need us. They’ve always supported us — OSU, the faculty, the students — for generations, for a long time. So, we’re there for them.”?