COVINGTON, Ky. — New programs and partnerships have spurred economic developments across Covington, and city leaders and business owners alike said they are excited to see stores stay open and jobs created.
One of those businesses, Dari-Crest in Latonia, has been a neighborhood staple for at least 65 years.
Known for its ice cream, malts and milkshakes, the once-seasonal shop has a slightly different look these days.
“We bought it to take it to the next level,” owner Tim Eversole said. “We are going to have coffee and mini donuts. We are expanding our hours from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week year-round.”
Eversole, owner of Bean Haus on Mainstrasse, bought the ice cream shop and said there are at least 27 open positions between his three Northern Kentucky stores, all positions he hopes to fill soon.
Eversole’s is one of several small businesses contributing to what leaders in Covington are calling an economic boom.
City Manager David Johnston said it’s a been a “bang-up year” for the Latonia area, even amid the COVID-19 pandemic. A small business grant program is now helping mom-and-pop shops, and he said bigger companies are also helping out.
Officials announced a partnership this summer between Regadget and Blair Technologies, two tech companies which purchased this abandoned shopping area in the former Burlington and Value City sites.
“They are going to expand their businesses in there, and also create working space for forward-looking companies,” he said. “They hope to have a tech-type of employment center there.”
Rumpke Waste and Recycling also plans to bring 50 new positions with its recent purchase of the city’s public works campus.
“They will rebuild the trash transfer station into a modern facility and also establish a Northern Kentucky headquarters,” he said.
They’re all moves Johnston feels is helping to bring the city forward, and bring jobs with it.
“We’re excited that our economic development isn’t just centered on the rejuvenation of the northside of the city. It’s now being seen throughout the whole community,” Johnston said.
