Longtime Dairy Queen in Portland becomes another west Louisville business that's shut down

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- After more than 30 years in business, the Dairy Queen in Louisville's Portland neighborhood is now closed.

But the restaurant's closure represents much more than just losing a place to get ice cream.

For the past three decades, the corner where Dairy Queen was located, was the heartbeat of the neighborhood. This is where people met for breakfast, lunch, dinner and ice cream.

The owners decided it's time to put their efforts elsewhere, which has been a recurring theme in Portland.

"And this is it, this is a staple, this has been here for years," Charles Berkley said.

"I looked at that sign right there and I'm like it has got to be ... it's got to be closed," Cameron Hughes said.

She and her partner eat out just about every night. And their options are now fewer.

"On the west end where else are you going to go eat? Exactly. I mean we go to McDonald's," Hughes said.

The owners are local and they decided not to renew the lease at this building. And are closing up after three decades of operation. A look through the front window, there isn't much left, the ice cream machines, grill, coolers are gone.

"I used to come up here and get breakfast in the mornings before I went to work," Hughes said.

This is the second Portland neighborhood staple to close since February. The owners of Crystal's Bargain Outlet closed the doors after two men attacked employees.

The owner of Crystal's building has put the building up for sale. Across the way all the DQ signs are gone, an old bicycle rack guards the drive through. The few lights that are on do attract a few cars.

It doesn't take long before the drivers to realize, the place is closed.

As each car drive away they are taking with them a small a sense of hope that things are getting better in Portland

"From what I see around the neighborhood, it is probably going down a little bit in my opinion," Berkley said.

The real estate agent said the asking price for the corner lot including the building is $1.5 million or a lease for around $5,500 per month. Both prices are negotiable.

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