Mention Ben Bublick’s name around Norfolk and you’re likely to get some unflattering stories. He admits that when he and former wife Malia Paasch opened The Birch in West Ghent, he was an asshole. He was a 23 year old beer snob and had the arrogance that went along with it. That arrogance would help him to create a bar that made it onto Draft Magazine’s Top 100 list. It also fomented dislike among others in the community who didn’t care for his attitude.
Article by Chris Fellini with photography by Fitz
Lead photo of Ben Bublick at Lou’s
After dropping out of UVA, Bublick headed down to Savannah, GA, where Paasch was attending SCAD. He discovered his love for craft beer down there and became determined to open his own bar. Bublick and Paasch went up and down the east coast looking for somewhere that felt like home. On a visit back to Hampton Roads (Bublick and Paasch are Virginia Beach natives), they found themselves drinking a beer at a bar in Ghent. Bublick recalls thinking aloud that they could craft a better experience, and began scouting for a location in Norfolk. They opened The Birch in January 2011. This was shortly before the craft beer explosion hit Hampton Roads, but they were awash in business immediately. The Birch was a success, but Bublick was deteriorating mentally.
Bublick was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and realized he couldn’t effectively run The Birch. He and Paasch divorced, and he took some time away to get his shit together. As Bublick says, though, the service industry is in his marrow. Less than a year after leaving The Birch, he opened Eva’s with new girlfriend Megan Hurdle. He was providing French cuisine and was trying to offer an upscale environment with a neighborhood bar feel. Although it was fun at first, it wasn’t life fulfilling. It was too many ideas that wanted to come together, but just kept missing the mark. Eventually, he had an epiphany of sorts. Why was he miserable at work, when he owned the place?
Photo of Megan Hurdle at Lou’s
Armed with a bottle of corn whiskey and 50 cans of spray paint, he and Hurdle closed Eva’s for a week and “remodeled.” The interior is all black and covered with graffiti now. Almost overnight, the bar was reborn as a complete dive, and renamed Lou’s after their daughter. Bublick has always admired dives. They possess a certain charm that he’d always wanted to portray in his place. The concept for Lou’s is genius, in it’s own way: good drinks served for $5 in a shitty bar. The drink menu changes regularly, but the prices stay the same. The idea of Lou’s really predates his other businesses, he just took the scenic route getting there. Bublick admits that to get to the point of Lou’s, he had to stop caring. He made a place that he felt at home at. Age and having a child have calmed him down some, but at the end of the day Ben Bublick still doesn’t give a fuck. Like him or hate him, he’s gonna have fun doing what he loves.
Lou’s bar is located at 4314 Colley Ave, Norfolk, VA 23508
5 Comments
Great review, the love really shows in this place. Im there every thursday with a group of friends and we have a blast, even when we’re the only ones there. Ben and Megan are awesome!
Did we read the same review Sabrina?
Terribly written, confusing, contradictory, inaccurate, and full of obvious fabrications. Did Ben write this article himself?
inaccurate AND full of obvious fabrications? way to go. If it was a confusing article maybe you need to go back to English class.
This place is terrible. I feel sorry for whoever takes over the space after Lou’s goes under.
Lou’s would fit in perfectly in the LES or in Greenpoint however it may find itself struggling on Colley. I don’t really give a shit about a bar owners back story or personality. Just serve good affordable drinks, which Lous does.