Many students were surprised to return to Marshall for the beginning of the school year and discover one of the bars most frequented by college students had closed.

Pappy’s, a bar located on McLaughlin Drive that is less than a block from the closest on-campus housing, closed down in late June. TK’s Steakhouse, a restaurant which shared a building with Pappy’s, was also closed.

There has been much speculation about why Pappy’s closed its doors. According to owner Tammy Stattelman, the bar ceased operations due to a mix of factors.

“We lost most of our employees in late May,” Stattelman said. “Most left for internships. Nobody was applying, and nobody came to help. I was basically running the whole thing by myself and four employees.”

Stattelman also cited run-ins with a few dishonest employees that either stole or gave out free drinks. The last issue that contributed to the closure of Pappy’s was that Stattelman discovered some new health problems last winter.

Student reaction to the bar closing was generally negative. Brianna Holmquist, an SMSU junior was especially disappointed. She attended Pappy’s on Thursday nights to dance, but was never able to drink since she was not of legal age.

“I’ll never get to enjoy it as a 21-year-old,” Holmquist said. “The other bars aren’t as fun because they don’t have DJ’s so I really miss having somewhere to go when I want to go out.”

Seth Lewis, an SMSU senior who occasionally helped Pappy’s with marketing, was also upset at the bar’s closing.

“It was one of the last things for students to do in this town,” Lewis said. “[Now] that it’s closed, there is nowhere for underage students to go dancing unless the school offers dances, which also seem to be dwindling.”

Some students have suggested that other bars in the area could change their age restriction to 18+ to help cater more to the student market. Tom Pearcy, owner of another bar in town, The Gambler, said due to local laws that is not possible.

“[The city] goes by your liquor sales,” Pearcy said. “You have to have 70 percent food sales, so only 30 percent of your sales can be liquor to qualify [to have 18 year olds after 10 p.m.].

Pappy’s was the only bar in town that had high enough food sales to qualify.

“There is a lot of drama with the younger crowd,” Stattelman said. “People knew if they got in a fight they’d get a warning or if they were bad enough they’d just get kicked out.”

Pearcy thinks changing the age restriction to 18+ at The Gambler would be a good idea and says he would if he legally could.

“70 percent food sales, no one here can achieve that,” Pearcy said. “It’s the city’s rule and I think they should revisit it.”

Pappy’s and TK’s Steakhouse are up for sale. Stattelman is hoping someone will buy it and continue the business.

“I do miss the kids and the camaraderie,” Stattelman said. “It’s just pretty much impossible to run it without enough employees. We’re hoping someone buys it, but it’s hard to tell what will happen.”