New businesses outpacing closures around downtown Louisville in 2021

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The Louisville Downtown Partnership released data that suggests the city is rebounding from the COVID-19 pandemic based on an “uptick” in new businesses.

Since January, LDP reported 15 new businesses opened, while 10 businesses closed. The partnership said this is the first time since the pandemic started that “new business openings in the urban core have exceeded closures,” according to a press release.

“I think it’s a very positive indicator that we’re back,” said Bill Schreck, LDP’s interim director. “And we’re going to be gibber and better than we were.”

However, not all 15 new businesses are technically in what could be considered downtown. Six are in the Central Business District (CBD), and nine fall outside those boundaries in surrounding neighborhoods. Most are in the East Market District, known as the NuLu neighborhood.

Meanwhile, the vast majority of the closures do fall within the CBD boundaries.

WDRB News asked the partnership why it included some neighborhoods and not others in its data. Schreck responded in an email that these boundaries have been used by LDP in the past to track this kind of data and that these areas “have a direct impact on the CBD.”

The number of new businesses — no matter where they are — is not to be diminished. Entrepreneurs launching 15 new businesses after a pandemic is encouraging news, but there is still a long way to go for downtown Louisville.

The partnership is positive about the future. Schreck said if the trend continues, it is expected that a total of 27 new businesses could open by the end of the year, which would outpace the 10-year average for the city.

The follow lists of openings and closings were provided by LDP:

Openings in downtown Louisville:

Restaurants/Cafes