In a downtown filled with a large college bar scene, students in Iowa City seeking a bar’s social environment without any alcohol now have fewer options after Unimpaired Dry Bar closed this month.

Unimpaired, located at 125 E. Burlington St., was frequently used for University of Iowa events during On Iowa! week and for fraternity and sorority parties. It also hosted events for the Sober Living Recovery Home and other programs for recovering alcoholics.

“I was disappointed to hear they had closed,” President of Sober Living Merrilee Ramsey said. “Early in sobriety, most individuals in recovery avoid any establishment that serves alcohol as it certainly can be a trigger. Except for fast food and take out there are not many restaurants that fit that criteria.”

Unimpaired’s owner Amber Haines and other staff did not respond to requests for comment from The Daily Iowan. However, Haines started the business to help students and others avoid peer pressure to drink while going out.

“I thought, why can’t there just be a place where people can go socialize and enjoy these late-night activities without alcohol?” Haines told the DI in 2021.

Besides its Iowa City bar, the Unimpaired locations in the Quad Cities and Cedar Rapids also closed.

The exact reason for Unimpaired’s closure is still unclear, however, though Johnson County Public Health shared that the establishment’s license had expired.

Despite the closure, there are still options for a safe place for residents who don’t want to drink alcohol. Until the end of January, the Iowa City Downtown District is sponsoring a “mocktail crawl” which involves several of the bars downtown.

Additionally, Ramsey said Sober Living may explore options to support students, who are typically not their clientele.

“Our residents are not student age, more in the 30 to 50 range, but again as we are just starting out, a residence for students that want a sober environment could be in our future,” Ramsey said.