Pike Street lounge unites Covington artists, activists

A team of activists, artists and Covingtonians teamed up to renovate the old Blue Bar in Covington and open up Pike Street Lounge. 

 

After seeing the possibility for a viable business after the closing of the Blue Bar last year, Katie Meyer, Bonnie McGinnis, Bret Schulte, Jon Meyer and Chris Meyer set their sights on opening up a coffee shop/bar hybrid. Saturday at 8 am, the doors of Pike Street Lounge will open to the public. Pike Street will be open from 8 am to 1 am Monday through Friday, and 11 am to 1 am on Saturday and Sunday. 

 

The team behind Pike Street is made up of Covington residents and Katie Meyer serves as director for Renaissance Covington, a non-profit that works to revitalize the city's urban core. Pike Street will feature a Pike Street mural painted by Schulte; a handmade metal phoenix, created by Chris Meyer, will serve as the lounge's sign and logo. Pike Street will also openly host community and activist groups' events and fundraisers on a pro-bono basis. 

 

"Because of the team we have, we want to focus on creativity, community and progressive social values," says Meyer, business manager of Pike Street Lounge. "We are making sure we are bike friendly, we are non-smoking, and we are reaching out to the gay community as a gay-friendly bar." 

 

The Pike Street location was chosen because of the Blue Bar's strong reach into the community. Meyer hopes their investment, and presence, will fan the flames of a burgeoning renaissance. 

 

"The area has so much potential," Meyer says. "Hopefully we can bring some energy." 

 

As artistically talented as the group may be, no one had experience running a business, so Katie Meyer enrolled in ArtWorks' SpringBoard class in Cincinnati to learn the basics of running a startup.

 

"I was familiar with the SpringBoard class and needed a quick way to learn things like startup costs and price points," Meyer says. "If we want to serve as a community hub, we need to know how to run a successful business."