With striking graffiti wall art, neon logos glowing from the walls, Northeastern hockey memorabilia, customer signatures, low red lighting of the lounge’s third room, a photo booth, a punching bag, 24/7 sports on the TVs and a DJ booth built under a portable bussing station turned stage, Two Saints Tavern on Gainsborough Street was a special, nostalgic place.

On March 8, local residents, students and regulars gathered at Two Saints Tavern to celebrate one final night at the bar, which announced it would be closing after over 10 years in business. 

“[There were] a lot of emotions. Finally saying my farewells and goodbyes that night, it was definitely tough, but it felt like a sense of accomplishment and success,” said Jonathan Donley, the head of promotions and booking manager for Two Saints. Donley, also known as JD, is a member of the DJ duo, The Beantown Boys, and has been playing at the bar since 2021. 

The news of the bar’s closure didn’t just surprise the employees but the neighboring communities, who were frequent and enthusiastic patrons of Two Saints.

Chuck Hitchcock, the bar’s managing partner, said that every night the staff went “above and beyond” to make at least one person’s night. 

“It’s a disappointment that you have to end that,” Hitchcock said. “That is the best feeling in the world — when you get to make it just the most amazing night for somebody.”

Hitchcock said insurance costs are the main reason behind Two Saints’ closing. 

Hitchcock said their insurance company, AmGUARD, was exiting the hospitality and liquor liability market, forcing the bar and grill to manage rising insurance costs amid inconsistent sales and limited options to switch insurers, as others leave the market. 

AmGUARD said in its Notice of Cancellation that, “GUARD is no longer a market for restaurant risks with liquor/alcohol sales greater than 30%,” and “GUARD is not a market for bar exposures including but not limited to live entertainment, karaoke or disc jockeys as found during renewal review.”  

As of April 2025, the bar was paying an insurance quote of about $82,000, according to a Risk Placement Services document Hitchcock shared with The Huntington News.

“It’s disappointing. The insurance was the final nail in the coffin, where, when you go from $17,000 a [year] to $80,000, there goes your entire margin. It’s just an unsustainable prospect,” Hitchcock said. 

Azu Eleonu, who goes by the DJ name Zazu, has been a resident DJ and promoter for Two Saints since 2023. For him, the bar’s closing is devastating. 

“It was definitely heartbreaking. I was almost crying in the car cause it was just like, ‘Does this mean I’m not gonna see the students or that team anymore?’” Eleonu said. “Everybody in that venue, from the students to the staff to security to the promoters, I literally built a connection with all of these people. I think we all were in shock. We were all very, very, very sad for the most part.”

The customers and employees shared a close relationship. 

“It felt like you kind of lost a piece of your heart, like that was family. And I could just see how many lives it impacted,” Donley said.

Two Saints was a staple of the neighboring community.  The bar’s proximity to Northeastern’s campus made it the go-to place for college students on Thursday nights. 

“[Students] loved having that hotspot because nightlife is [at] such a weird shift where venues are just changing or it just gets harder and harder to get to go out to places. So to have that on campus, I think that they really, really loved it. Northeastern loved it,” Zazu said.

The bar also held karaoke nights every Friday and served large crowds on Saturday nights, with lines sometimes wrapped around the corner onto Huntington Avenue. To Donley, seeing that line was his favorite part of the night.  

“That feeling I would get when I was driving onto Gainsborough Street every Thursday for about three years straight and just seeing the length of that line, just felt like, ‘Wow, we really built something here,’ and people were coming, and people were noticing,” Donley said.

The atmosphere reflected a college dive bar aesthetic that residents and students say is slowly disappearing from Boston. 

“That dive bar aesthetic, the neon lights, the very low actual light bulbs, that’s what I love. It makes for a fun environment. It makes it an environment that I enjoy being in instead of something that looks like I [have] to be careful at every step, like I’m walking through an antique store. I enjoy the comfort piece of it. I always have,” Hitchcock said. 

Beyond nightlife, Two Saints held private events for student organizations, from Northeastern athletic teams, Northeastern Hillel, fraternity and sorority philanthropy fundraisers, Harvard Business School reunions and, of course, the staff favorite: the Men’s and Women’s Hockey Beanpot celebrations.

The loss of Two Saints adds to the losses of other iconic spots, like Matthews Arena, on Northeastern’s campus. 

Before changing owners in 2017, Two Saints was famously known as Our House East — known to many as “OHE.” For generations, this space served as Northeastern’s community. 

“My dad, who went to school at Northeastern in the ‘80s, went to Our House East. It’s been that location, and that location has been a staple to Northeastern for 40 years. I don’t think anyone can really argue that,” said Luke Graham, third-year Northeastern communication and media studies combined major who barbacked and bartended at Two Saints. “Not having that, and who knows what will happen next, it does kind of suck. There’s no establishment, I would say, outside of the university that brings Northeastern students together.”

Aside from Beanpot celebrations, Graham’s favorite memory was singing “Piano Man” every Friday on karaoke night during his shift.

“Being with the great community of people that work, I’m just going to miss that aspect of it,” Graham said.

In reflecting on Two Saints’ legacy, the community most consistently used the word “family.” 

“This was meant to happen at this time. This door is closed for Two Saints, but we’re still family,” Donley said.

Correction: This story was updated at 3:21 p.m. March 19, 2026 to fix the spelling of Azu Eleonu’s name.

Editor’s Note: This story was updated June 7 at 8:51 p.m. to remove a source’s quotes to protect their identity.