{"product_id":"universal-fruit-nut-company-sandusky-ohio-gay-bar-1980s-1990s","title":"Universal Fruit \u0026 Nut Company (Sandusky Ohio Gay Bar\/1977-1998)","description":"\u003cp class=\"PDq2pG_selectionAnchorContainer\" data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"64\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"62\"\u003eUniversal Fruit \u0026amp; Nut Company — Sandusky, OH \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"66\" data-end=\"263\"\u003eWith a name that was equal parts joke and badge of honor, the Universal Fruit \u0026amp; Nut Company became one of the Midwest's most beloved gay bars—and an unexpected cultural landmark in small-town Ohio.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"265\" data-end=\"664\"\u003eLocated at 2112 Cleveland Road in Sandusky, the building originally opened as \u003cstrong data-start=\"343\" data-end=\"355\"\u003eThe Surf\u003c\/strong\u003e, a stylish mid-century cocktail lounge before finding a second life as the Universal Fruit \u0026amp; Nut Company. During the 1980s and 1990s, it became a welcoming refuge for LGBTQ+ people from across northern Ohio—a place where community flourished far from the larger gay scenes of Cleveland, Columbus, or Detroit.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"666\" data-end=\"991\"\u003eThe bar's greatest legacy may be the lives it touched. Among its regulars was Sandusky native filmmaker \u003cspan class=\"hover:entity-accent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline\"\u003eTodd Stephens\u003c\/span\u003e, who first walked into the Fruit \u0026amp; Nut in 1984. It was there that he met his future husband and found inspiration in local queer personalities like the legendary Mr. Pat Pitsenbarger.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"993\" data-end=\"1460\"\u003eStephens later immortalized the bar in his acclaimed \"Ohio Trilogy.\" The Universal Fruit \u0026amp; Nut Company serves as a central setting in \u003cspan class=\"hover:entity-accent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline\"\u003eEdge of Seventeen\u003c\/span\u003e, with the original exterior appearing in the film itself. More than two decades later, Stephens paid tribute once again in \u003cspan class=\"hover:entity-accent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline\"\u003eSwan Song\u003c\/span\u003e, celebrating the overlooked generation of Midwestern LGBTQ+ pioneers who built communities in places where few expected them to exist.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"1462\" data-end=\"1678\"\u003eLike so many great neighborhood gay bars, the Fruit \u0026amp; Nut was more than a place to have a drink. It was where friendships were formed, chosen families grew, and queer life quietly thrived in the heart of the Midwest.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Printify","offers":[{"title":"Black \/ S","offer_id":47941194612894,"sku":"16914325701885330475","price":29.75,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Dark Grey \/ S","offer_id":47941194645662,"sku":"33550440822019294463","price":29.75,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Dark Grey Heather \/ S","offer_id":47941194678430,"sku":"17406707075879499994","price":29.75,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Heather Navy \/ S","offer_id":47941194711198,"sku":"31406132480758592235","price":29.75,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Navy \/ S","offer_id":47941194743966,"sku":"42695637212904632987","price":29.75,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Black Heather \/ S","offer_id":47941194776734,"sku":"16336812807488555150","price":29.75,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Black \/ 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