LUDLOW, Ky. — With a new entertainment district, Ludlow is trying to draw visitors out to support the local economy in a safe way before cold weather sends folks indoors.
Businesses like Bircus Brewing Company in Ludlow are trying to juggle safety and productivity. A new designated outdoor drinking area is designed to increase their customer base.
Owner Paul Miller said Bircus Brewing has evolved over the last 11 years, its location once a factory and a movie theater before that. He describes the business as “part circus, part theater, part restaurant, and part brewery.”
So, when COVID-19 changed life as we knew it earlier this year, he knew change was the only option.
"We really got together as business owners and said 'What are we going to do to survive and collaborate?'" he said.
While things like to-go orders have helped his business thrive, the pandemic presented challenges for those with smaller spaces like Leeta Ruth Boutique, for which a to-go model doesn't work.
"I think most of us, we were closed here at the shop March through really June,” owner Kim Hoyt said.
Soon, the strip of Elm Street from Kenner Street to Carneal Street will be an entertainment destination center, where visitors can enjoy alcoholic beverages in city-approved cups
"A lot of times I get people down here from really close by and they've never been to Ludlow, and I think having it titled as an entertainment district will really draw people,” Hoyt said.
Miller agreed, saying he hopes Ludlow offers visitors something new and different from other popular spots like Mainstrasse Covington and Over-The-Rhine.
"We hope that people from the whole 275 loop will be like 'Hey, let's see what they have to offer,’” he said.
