Highlands store owner worried as another restaurant closes on Bardstown Road

LOUISVILLE, Ky (WDRB) -- According to a sign on its door, HopCat in the Highlands was looking forward to greeting regulars once again, but Tuesday on its Facebook page, the restaurant announced it won't be reopening.

The section of Bardstown Road that HopCat sits on was once bustling with business.

"It's pretty dead, yes. Actually, there's nobody walking down the sidewalks," Mark Estelle, owner of Encore Resale, said.

Estelle said Tuesday he only saw two customers in about a five-hour span. The same day he heard that HopCat would be closing permanently.

"That's not helping me, because most of the businesses right here haven't reopened yet and it's just tough to get business in here," Estelle said.

For different reasons, the Highlands Panera Bread and Lilly's Bistro also recently announced they are closing up shop. Even before this year, Estelle can recall businesses near him that have come and gone.

"This was a block that everybody was here at the time. There was an antique store across the street, Yang Kee Noodle, Mellow Mushroom, and [Buffalo Wild Wings]," Estelle said.

Tony Smith, who frequents the Highlands, just heard of the latest business closing on Bardstown Road.

"It's kind of sad and scary, but I mean hopefully we actually get some new locally owned businesses," Smith said.

Councilman Brandon Coan, D-8, who represents and lives in the Highlands, said he is confident the neighborhood will get back to where it was.

"We have all the good bones and all the good infrastructure that you need, and I think we were starting to see some progress in terms of business attraction and development before the pandemic," Coan said.

In the meantime, Estelle and the mannequin at his front window are waiting to greet a stream of customers once again.

"Hopefully we'll get the foot traffic in the next few months. You know, we got Derby coming up. Hopefully that will take off," Estelle said.

Louisville's Metro Council has approved the Small Business COVID-19 Relief Grant to help locally owned businesses stay afloat.