Established 1826 — Oldest College Newspaper West of the Alleghenies

Comedy club in works

By Nadya Korytnikova, For The Miami Student

Liberty Center, a $350 million project that will feature a Flip Side gourmet burger restaurant and a Funny Bone Comedy Club is currently under construction in Butler County and will soon open as the biggest development in Butler County history.

The Liberty Center, comprised of 1.2 million square-feet of space began construction in January and should open Oct. 8.

The structure will be located in Liberty Township at I-75 and Ohio State Route 129, which is about a 30 minute drive from Miami University.

Flip Side is just one of many restaurants that will occupy the 63,000 square feet dedicated to restaurants and eateries in the new center. The Flip Side chain restaurant will offer beer, milkshakes and a huge variety of hamburgers.

It is a location many are most excited about.

"There's so much competition in that [restaurant] category, so we wanted to make sure we have the right burger spot for Liberty Center," Anne Mastin, the vice president of Steiner and Associates Retail Real Estate said.

The company is in charge of construction for the Liberty Center project.

Funny Bone Comedy Club will join Liberty Center as part of the entertainment options. Five nights a week, Funny Bone will offer a stand-up comic as live entertainment. While enjoying the show, customers will also be able to enjoy a complete menu of foods and drinks.

So far, the information about other tenants of the Liberty Center remains unknown. The new center is a massive project with the goal of bringing attention to the Butler County area.

"We hope to bring as many first-to-market retailers as we can, but there are also some very well-known brand names not in Butler and Warren counties yet that we hope to bring as well," Mastin said.

According to Mastin, the purpose of the Liberty Center is not only to attract customers with new high-end clothing brand options, but also to offer customers a great place to enjoy time with friends and meet new people.

"People like to be around other people," she said. "They like to be in an environment where there is an entertainment component and they can have a cup of coffee outside and watch children play in the pop jet fountains and go grab something to eat. It's that need to be a part of a community that really sets us apart from other kinds of shopping venues."

Although the Liberty Center remains unknown for most students of Miami University, some of them admitted that once Liberty Center has its grand opening, it will be their main destination to go to for the weekend.

"I have read about this Liberty Center," Freshman Lingyun Yang, said. "I hope it is going to be bigger than Kenwood mall. I can't wait for the opening."