This is grandfather Herbert B. Kohus Sr. in front of John's Cafe, a saloon once owned by Herbert's brother John William Kohus. Herbert worked as a bar tender from about 1909-1918. John established the business the year of his father Louis' death in 1907 and owned it until his death from TB in 1917. Herbert continued to work there one more year after John died and then took a job as a street car conductor with the Cincinnati Street Railway Co. (now Queen City Metro) John's wife Loretta was listed in the city directory at this address in 1919 selling soft drinks. I presume the business closed it's doors about 1920. My grandpa Kohus had an interesting story he told about working as a bar tender. As grandpa's story goes, he was working here one day when a man entered and tried to rob the place. He pointing a gun directly at my grandfather's head and pulled the trigger. Fortunately for him, not to mention a few hundred descendents, the gun misfired. The robber then hit my grandfather in the head with the gun and ran out the door. Interesting to consider the fact that, had the gun not misfired, I am one of his descendents who would not be sitting here writing about this story today.
The tallest building in this photo is 1215 Main Street, the same building shown above. It was taken almost 100 years after the previous photo.