A new relocation destination for 8th Street Pizza: Breakwater.

Get the lowdown on 8th Street Pizza at Facebook, and observe the above post earlier today. As of last year, 8th Street Pizza was to have relocated (that's right, from 8th Street) to 141 E. Main.

Homelessness, 8th Street Pizza's move, Clean Socks Hope's mission and an addendum by Exit 0.

However, the building fell through for undisclosed reasons, and now it appears the pizzeria is headed for the short-lived Bliss Artisan retail space at the Breakwater residential development.

From December 28, 2019.

Sadly, Bliss Artisan is closed. The franchise lasted ten months at The Breakwater.

River City Winery's sly Facebook tease about a move to Jeffersonville.

I blame it entirely on Mike Moore.

Conversely, RCW provides no further information apart from the revised logo, and these things take time.

May 8, 2019

River City Winery news flash: "We're selling our Pearl Street properties."

April 3, 2019

BZA tables winery production request, so the latest news about River City Winery's future isn't much clearer than the last update.

February 27, 2019

River City Winery: "We are exploring the relocation of our entire operation to another part of Southern Indiana."

River City Winery: "We are exploring the relocation of our entire operation to another part of Southern Indiana."

Problems at River City Winery began in earnest around September of 2018. On the surface these had to do with licensing to produce wine, but it soon became evident that other, deeper issues were at play.

Yesterday this appeared at Facebook.

RCW will continue putting out award winning Indiana wines as soon as possible but we are exploring the relocation of our entire operation to another part of Southern Indiana. We shouldn't be more than a short drive away. Stay tuned!

I mention all this only because in 14 years of NA Confidential, there has not ever been a topic generating as many queries as this one. Dozens of people have texted, e-mailed and message me wanting to know whether RCW was open or closed, what had happened, and what the outcome might be.

There surely is a story, but I don't have it.

At least I don't have enough proof for a story. For six months it's been like being seated in a theater, facing a curtain. Behind the curtain can be heard the sounds of a knock-down, drag-out fight. However, it isn't clear who is fighting or why. You can piece together some bits from the din, yet in the end it's a complete mystery. The ultimate fate of River City Winery lies just beyond our view; we can sniff shell casings on social media, but remain unable to arrive at a conclusion.

Someday I'd love to be able to tell this story. Until then, the best I can do is express the hope that everyone involved on all "sides" eventually emerges from the maelstrom feeling a measure of peace.

The fog of war, indeed.

Dragon King's Daughter's relocation to Market Street begins at the end of June.

Yesterday, we learned of a forthcoming brief respite for Quills.

Public service announcement for fans of Quills, which will be closed for a few days for the alley move.

Next in line is Dragon King's Daughter, making the long-awaited move to 129 W. Market Street -- Gary Wolf's market, at least to some of us old-timers.

Of course, this means there'll be a space to fill at the corner of Elm and Bank. If you hear anything, let us know.

At some point between now and mid-July, we'll also be seeing at least three openings: Longboard's, Double Barrel and Pints&union. for more information, skip to here ...

Downtown NA restaurant and bar scorecard: one new location, two openings and four coming soon.

... and take note that The Wright House Bar BQ seems already to have decamped to a different location in Clarksville.

NEW ALBANY DRAGON KING’S DAUGHTER IS CLOSING JUNE 28, RELOCATING AND HIRING, by Jessica Mathis (Food & Dining Magazine)

Dragon King’s Daughter, currently at 202 E. Elm St (but facing Bank St) in New Albany, is undergoing some exciting changes. The Japanese restaurant has outgrown their current space and will be relocating to the corner of First and Market streets and changing up its menu with some new items. The new space will offer almost twice as much space and consist of a dining room, a semi-private dining area, and a bar/lounge for diners 21 and up who want a more grown up experience in a kid-free zone. The restaurant will be closed for one to two weeks as it makes this move, and June 28th is their last day of operations on E. Elm St. They hope to open the new location the following weekend, but interested parties should follow their Facebook  page or website for updates.

The restaurant will reopen with some new menu options, including the only robata grills in the region, according to General Manager Ryan Westphal. Robata is short for robatayaki, which means “fireside cooking,” and is a Japanese cuisine similar to barbecue that originated centuries ago when Japanese fishermen cooked around a communal hearth. In this style of cooking, vegetables and proteins (like seafood, beef, and chicken) are cooked over hot coals ...

Public service announcement for fans of Quills, which will be closed for a few days for the alley move.

Get ready.

Quills wants you to know the schedule as the coffee shop moves to a different portal in the same building.

"As you may have heard and seen, we are relocating our New Albany café to the back alley. With that, this is our last week of service in our current space, and we will be closing at 2pm on Sunday June 17th to begin tearing down the old bar. We will be re-opening in the garage the following Monday June 25. Swing by one last time(s) this week, and see you in the new space soon!"

A couple months ago.

Karem's Meats is up and rolling on Plaza Drive.

Karem's Meats has reopened at the store's new location: 3306 Plaza Drive, off Grant Line Road and a stone's throw from NABC's Pizzeria & Public House. Thanks to Matt Lorch for the purloined photos. They're so good I just had to use them.

Karem's Meats to reopen on Tuesday, May 23 at Plaza Drive.

Tuesday, May 23 is the projected date for Karem's Meats to reopen in its new Plaza Drive location.

3306 Plaza Drive, New Albany, Indiana
Phone: (812) 945-9893
Twitter: @karemsmeatsNA
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/karemsmeatsNA/

Matt Nash to purchase Karem's Meats, which will relocate to Plaza Drive (off Grant Line Road) on or about May 1.

The Green Mouse has learned that 5th district councilman Matt Nash will join the ranks of independent local business owners.

Nash has reached a deal to purchase the iconic Karem's Meats, New Albany's oldest meat market and deli.

Karem's will continue to operate at its current location off State Street until on or around May 1, when Nash will assume ownership, and the business will move to new digs at 3306 Plaza Drive, a space many readers will recall as the former home of NA Exchange (and before that, MyBar and Main Menu). It's a stone's throw from New Albanian Brewing Company, of Grant Line Road.

Once again, the target date for the move and ownership change is May 1. You can follow the art of this particular deal on social media:

Instagram: karemsmeats
Twitter: Karem's Meats
Facebook: Karem's Meats (the new page)

Karem's in the News and Tribune on the occasion of the shop's 50th anniversary in 2015.

THE BEER BEAT: It took a week to get the details straight, but BBC is leaving its current St. Matthews location after 23 years and hopes to reopen elsewhere in Louisville.

There are lessons somewhere in all this, but at the moment I am bereft of glibness. If Jim, Debbie and Blake are reading, thanks; you had it right the first time. 

To revisit the roller coaster of the past week, first the rumorama insisted that January 29 would be the last business day for Bluegrass Brewing Company St. Matthews, but the rest of it was unclear. Next, the Green Mouse received a more nuanced and expansive report, much of which has now come to light (below), to the effect that the January 29 date was incorrect.

Then literally, this report proved to be true; not January 29, but February 5 as the last day for BBC at its longtime Shelbyville Road digs.

Yesterday morning, Insider Louisville's Caitlin Bowling reported about the fast and furious BBC rumors, and subsequently her instincts were proven correct.

Rumors fly about fate of Bluegrass Brewing Company’s St. Matthews restaurant

During the past week, Insider Louisville has received tip after tip from people who say they’ve heard that the Bluegrass Brewing Company plans to close its St. Matthews bar and restaurant.

A few hours later, the floodgates opened. I believe the C-J's Bailey Loosemore was first past the post.

Bluegrass Brewing Co. to leave St. Matthews

Bluegrass Brewing Company is moving from its St. Matthews location after 23 years on Shelbyville Road.

On Friday, co-owner Pat Hagan told the Courier-Journal that the company has agreed to forgo its lease on the brewery's building so that another restaurant can move in. Partners in the new venture were previously involved in Sully's Saloon, a Fourth Street Live! bar and restaurant that closed in 2013 after an 11-year run ...

... Soon, construction will start on a new BBC restaurant in the Kindred Healthcare facility at the corner of Broadway and Fourth Street. And Hagan hopes to find a new building in the East End where he can reopen a taproom and resume retail production.

Business First's David Mann closed Friday with an update.

BBC leaving St. Matthews after 23 years

Bluegrass Brewing Co. is leaving the St. Matthews space it's called home for 23 years. The brewpub, located on Shelbyville Road, near Breckenridge Lane is closing up shop Feb. 5, allowing a new concept to move in to the location.

The area has changed in the more than two decades since BBC opened there, owner Pat Hagan told me in an interview today.

"It's more of a night club area now, which we're not," he said.

So, to recap: Owner Pat Hagan bowed (intelligently, in my view) to leasing and area development realities and now hopes to move BBC to a new location, one that will allow the expansion of brewing into bottling and/or canning. The 3rd Street brewery and restaurant remain open, and the 4th Street branch will reopen when the Kindred building is finished. The coming week will be a victory lap for BBC in St. Matthews, and I hope to make it over and learn the future of my Wort Mug, number 66.

That's the way it is, at least until it changes again. APA, here I come.

Coqui's Cafe will regroup and relocate: "We have outgrown our little diner on the corner of Bank and Market. Sunday was our last day at that location."

The Green Mouse learned of the forthcoming Coqui's Cafe reboot just before Harvest Homecoming. Apparently the property owner has been seeking to sell the former Little Chef space at the corner of Bank and Market, and Coqui's was outgrowing it, so something was bound to happen.

In the comments at Facebook, a bit more is revealed. As for a potential new location, Coqui's seems to be making a laudably rational decision to examine all the options:

"New Albany has several cafes and two more coming in. We will let them have New Albany."

Surely a sensible strategy. Also, there is this:

"The News and Tribune will be running a story on our exit and on the new owners. (Smiling) We wanted to make sure that no one thought they ran us out of business."

Coqui's garnered much praise during the past 18 months, and I wish them the best of luck reformatting the operation, wherever it takes them. My personal view is that downtown New Albany may be at (or past) "peak food and drink" pending the occupants coming to Breakwater and the construction of future living spaces ... and two-way street conversions ... and the tolling wait-and-see.

Following are the "official" Coqui's dispatches.

Coqui's Cafe

Coqui's Cafe is taking a winter break. We will continue to take orders for flan and coquito and we WILL DELIVER!

Thank you to all of our customers for all of your support over the past year and a half.

We have outgrown our little diner on the corner of Bank and Market. Sunday was our last day at that location. We have "passed the torch" to another family that will reopen the diner around the end of the month with thier own menu.
Coqui's Cafe will reopen in the spring in a new BiGGER location. STAY TUNED FOR DETAILS!

Further testimony from Elvin Torres:

Elvin DjCoqui Torres

We have decided to close our New Albany location on Sunday. It has been an amazing experience! When we opened this tiny diner I have never even worked at a restaurant. So we had much to learn. This year and a half has been a great training experience for us. We are now looking to find a bigger and better place to better serve our customers, with the same great food. At our next location we will be offering dinner and more lunch items. Some of my favorite dishes that my mom used to make and Stephanie Livingood Torres's families' favorite dishes. Thank you all for your support! We will be back bigger and better!

Where'd you get those birds? Somehow New Albany's water park fails to retain yet another business.

Bill Hanson gave the wheel a mighty and heroic heave, but couldn't figure out any way to insert a "Pokemon: Pro or Con?" poll directly into Morris's copy, so Papa plays it straight and elegant, providing the city's Dishevelment Director with sufficient rope for self-suspension.

VT Industries closing New Albany plant, by Chris Morris (Show Us Your River Ridge)

VT Industries will soon be closing its doors in New Albany.

The company currently employs around 120 people and produces laminate countertops, architectural wood and thermo foil doors ...

 ... David Duggins, New Albany’s director of economic development and redevelopment, said the city had no prior knowledge of VT Industries desire to close its plant in the Industrial Park. He said the city, along with 1si and WorkOne, will help laid off workers find new employment and said there are some companies planning future expansions, which will add to the growing job market.

“We have a lot of job growth and I think we can absorb those employees, in that salary range, in no time,” Duggins said.

He said an existing company in Industrial Park is looking at a “substantial” expansion soon, but he did not name the business.

You may recall that neither Duggins nor his immediate superior from the Down Low Bunker's executive suite knew Pillsbury was leaving.

They also didn't know turkeys couldn't fly, so enjoy this clip from last week's Redevelopment fixer.

"Is keeping a football team more important that putting police officers on the street? More important than giving teachers raises?"

Yesterday there were some football games. I watched none of them. Ditto for basketball games, and the vast majority of baseball games.

It's so much more fun playing games than watching them. My current favorite game is Bait the Party Elder.

There are brain injuries -- but not mine.

In Losing the Rams, St. Louis Wins, by Joe Nocera (New York Times)

Don’t cry for St. Louis, sports fans.

The departure of the Rams to Los Angeles, whence they came two decades ago, is something for the city’s residents to cheer, not bemoan. St. Louis got lucky ...

 ... the economics underpinning the recent deal St. Louis and the State of Missouri tried to put together to keep the Rams would have been financially ruinous. Let’s not be coy about this: St. Louis, a city of fewer than 320,000 people, with a shrinking tax base, simply couldn’t afford to help finance the $1 billion stadium that the Rams’ billionaire owner, E. Stanley Kroenke, was seeking. Its mistake was in trying.

And the truth.

... whatever the deficiencies of the proposal from the city and state, it was more than the city, especially, could bear. It would have broken St. Louis’s back, and quite likely forced cutbacks in service that the city badly needs. And it raises again the question of whether cities should really be in the business of subsidizing sports facilities. Is keeping a football team more important that putting police officers on the street? More important than giving teachers raises?

Of course not. But mayors and governors can’t bring themselves to tell a team good riddance when it threatens to leave. Instead, they move heaven and earth to keep the team — even if, as in the case of St. Louis, they can’t afford it. That’s why the pro sports business model works so well. It relies on the expectation that government officials will panic at the thought of losing a team.

Work is ongoing as the new Habana Blues location draws ever closer.

The original Habana Blues location at the corner of Bank and Market ran for four and a half years, and did this town a world of good. Owner Leo Lopez closed up shop on March 29 in order to make the long-anticipated move to his new Habana Blues location a mere half a block and alleyway away, into what many of us remember as the Mutual Trust Bank building.

Habana Blues should be open again in the new location by the last week of April, and of course before then if construction permits. Leo has been documenting the build-out as his personal Fb page. Join me in wishing Leo and his crew the very best as Habana Blues begins anew.

The new Habana Blues is getting closer.

It's getting closer. Leo Lopez says he has parties booked for Derby festival time, so expect the new location to be up and running in early April.

"Earth Friends Cafe coming home to Bank Street Brewhouse."

I knew what was coming, but I didn't know the exact cadence of announcements, either, but it's clearer now. Business First was first past the post.

Earth Friends Cafe gets (another) new home, by David A. Mann (Louisville Business First)

Earth Friends closed its location at the Kentucky International Convention Center earlier this week, after owner Stacie Bale said she was having problems with the landlord, Centerplate Inc.. The business is being dissolved but the Earth Friends concept — sandwiches, wraps, soups, salads and sweets for carnivores, vegetarians and vegans — is now moving into New Albanian Brewing Co.'s Bank Street Brewhouse.

The brewhouse closed its kitchen in May and has hosted guest chefs and pop-up kitchens since. Taco Punk was there for a bit, but that relationship ended just recently.

It's not yet clear when Earth Friends will be up and running on Bank Street. "We hope for it to be soon," Bale told me this afternoon. She wouldn't get specific but said it could happen by the end of March, following a fresh coat of paint in the Brewhouse and some tweaks to the kitchen.

There's more at NABC's website, including a menu link: Earth Friends Cafe coming home to Bank Street Brewhouse.

Earlier in the week, I ventured a few thoughts.

A bit more about ongoing changes at Bank Street Brewhouse.

... In short, things are changing, and I’m pleased, because George Bernard Shaw was right: “Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.”

I’d like to change New Albany, and my business is changing itself. The key to both might well be brains and beers in sync.

Reading between these many lines, I'd say that the beer will resume pouring as work proceeds on the Earth Friends prep. There are bookings on the 19th and 20th, if that's any indication.

The new Keg Liquors location in New Albany opens today.

State regulatory bureaucracies move quite slowly in the best of circumstances, and so kudos to Todd Antz and his crew for getting the Keg Liquors move accomplished so quickly.

The Keg Liquors

We'll be opening the doors at 10:00 this morning. Stop in and check out our brand new store at 4304 Charlestown Road, New Albany — at Keg Liquors New Albany.

Keg Liquors announces the closing and imminent relocation of its New Albany location.

Verbatim from the mail slot, from whence oddly, I've just now received the announcement, although the Twitter feed shows it going out earlier in the week.

---

Closing and Relocation of our New Albany location

It is with a mix of sadness and optimism that we announce the closing and relocation of the downtown New Albany location of Keg Liquors. Friday, September 26th, will be our last day in operation at 302 Pearl Street. The new location will be announced soon and we are thrilled that the existing New Albany staff will transfer to it.

The relocation of the New Albany store does not impact the Clarksville location, which will continue to operate under its normal business hours.

We opened the New Albany location 3 years ago to be part of the renaissance of downtown New Albany. I feel that Keg Liquors has been a key contributor with the revitalization and we have enjoyed watching the area grow and prosper. However, in order to meet the business objectives for Keg Liquors and to continue to support the development of New Albany, it is time to relocate the store to an area more conducive to our type of business.

As the owner of Keg Liquors, I am thankful for the wonderful customers and the relationships we've formed, as well as the other business owners and employees that we've gotten to know. I look forward to continuing those relationships and to creating new ones.

Thank you to everyone who patronized our New Albany store on Pearl Street, and we look forward to serving you at our new location.

Sincerely,
Todd Antz
Owner, Keg Liquors

Keg Liquors
Keeping Kentuckiana Beer'd since 1976
http://www.kegliquors.com

Habana Blues will move even closer to my beer.

This bit of news has been known on the street for a while, but it's always better to wait for a restaurant to make its own official announcement. I consider these guys to be one of New Albany's signature downtown establishments, and am delighted they'll be even closer to Bank Street Brewhouse, in the renovated former bank building that Matt Chalfant purchased and is rehabbing. I'm not sure what this means for the current space in the old New Albany Inn building, but taken together, these are exciting developments. Best of luck to Leo and the Habana Blues team.

The Fire Museum is gone. Now, what happens to the Coyle property?

Walking westbound on Spring Street yesterday afternoon, I noticed the temporary message board at the Vintage Fire Museum being loaded atop a trailer, and Curt Peters stacking boxes into a pickup truck. A glance behind the windows at the former Coyle Chevrolet showroom revealed -- nothing. The museum's apparently gone to Jeffersonville.

We've covered this ground previously, but it's worth recalling the gist of it: In and of itself alone, the Vintage Fire Museum never would have been a game changer downtown. However, as a component of an organized downtown economic development strategy, it surely could have played a role. The museum's departure to Jeffersonville tells us:

1. As yet, the city of New Albany's downtown economic (and overall) development strategy remains piecemeal at best, and non-existent at worst. Entities petition for money and favors. Sometimes they get it, and sometimes not.

2. The city of Jeffersonville, though still quite capable of ineptitude, at least has such a strategy and has funded it. In the past, I've been approached quite informally and casually by Jeffersonville officials, so as to let me know what their city could do for a business like mine -- downtown. I thank them and carry on, all the while thinking: But why not the same in New Albany, apart from an absence of will to implement it?

3. The Vintage Fire Museum's departure informs us: It's time for vigilance with respect to the future of the Coyle property's vast asphalt expanse, both because an historic building is at stake, and owing to the nature of frequent hints that development there would come in the form of housing -- thus suggesting that cynics like me establish up front just how much the inevitable, giveaway parking garage will cost us. Earlier this summer, the Green Mouse overheard city officials and the 6th district banker/councilman discussing the future of the historic showroom building, and whether it would survive a development deal or be demolished; when asked about it, the councilman ominously replied: "Just a rumor. Though all options should be considered when redeveloping a property."

But all options should NOT be considered when voting on a non-binding resolution. It's a curious world we live in, and an even stranger city. While enjoying today's holiday, remember the Thrasher axiom: "We're all here because we're not all there."

As of TODAY, the new location for Stylin' Irish Salon is 1440 Charlestown Rd.

Having been aware from the very start that it was difficult for Stylin' Irish to be the first tenant in a very long time to occupy space in the long-moribund Commercial Building (above) on the corner of Elm and Pearl, across from Bank Street Brewhouse ... my best guess is that Charlotte and crew will begin the day today chanting "free at last, free at last."

Up the revolution, and best of luck to Stylin' Irish in its new location.

---

So Excited About Our New Location

Hello everyone! We have been working very hard to get our new location up and ready to pamper you.

It has been a lot of work but we will finally be ready as of tomorrow Thursday October 24, 2013. We will still be doing some work on the salon but it won't affect your services. 

The new address is 1440 Charlestown Rd. This is where Charlestown Rd and Grant Line Rd meet and become 8th St. Our most known landmark would be the railroad bridge that runs over the road right next to our new building. It is very easy to find but if you have any questions, just give us a call. 

We have been waiting on utilities to be transferred, as the companies we use seem to be taking their sweet time. We haven't gotten the phones on yet but that should be today or tomorrow so in the mean time feel free to call Aisha's cell phone at 812-557-5905 and leave a message. She will call you back promptly to set you up for an appointment or answer any questions. If you leave a message at the salon's number we won't be able to access it until they complete our transfer request. 

The new location is very cute and cozy and we can't wait to show it off. Thank you all for your support and friendships. You all mean the world to us :)