Site of old Smoketown liquor store being transformed into safe space, learning center for kids

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- An old corner liquor store in Louisville's Smoketown neighborhood will soon be a safe space and learning center for kids.

The corner of Breckinridge and Hancock streets where the Smoketown Laundromat sits has seen some changes. The laundromat opened in August 2022 as one of the first new tenants of the transformed vacant property that once housed a barber shop, a car detailer, and a liquor store.

Lynn Rippy - YouthBuild president — YouthBuild President Lynn Rippy shows off plans for the YouthBuild Smoketown Community Center on Monday, Feb. 19, 2024. (WDRB photo)

Right next to the laundromat, the former liquor store is undergoing a multimillion-dollar renovation.

"We have a lot of liquor stores in our neighborhoods and I think a few less of them would be a positive thing," said Desiree Carr, the manager of the Cure Violence program at YouthBuild.

Now, thanks to federal grants, donations and community partners, Lynn Rippy's vision of the Smoketown Community Center is coming to life. Rippy is the President and CEO of YouthBuild.

"A safe place for young people to come every day," said Rippy. "So we'll have 3D printers, computer stations, and we're partnering with TECH-Nique to manage this space."

Carr grew up around the Smoketown neighborhood and went to nearby Meyzeek Middle School. In her work with the Cure Violence program, she is part of a team working to steer more than 60 kids in the right direction. The teens in the program collect a small stipend for their work in participating in the program.

Desiree Carr.jpeg — Desiree Carr is a manager of Cure Violence, a global nonprofit that works to implement violence prevention programs in cities in an effort to reduce violence. (WDRB photo/Feb. 19, 2024)

"That's why we're here, we try to make it possible again," said Carr. "Keep them busy out of the streets, stealing from cars, robbing, stealing out of stores, anything you can think of. We try to create a space so they can come and be safe."

Marcus Poyntz with YouthBuild, who also went to Meyzeek, said he's excited to watch the corner change.

"We do hold them accountable, and that's teaching them responsibility also," Poyntz said. "But that's keeping the kids off the streets, giving them something to do other than just walking around the neighborhood, trying to look for trouble to get into."

He's hoping that his neighborhood, full of reminders of the past, can continue to grow from within.

Leaders with YouthBuild hope the building will be open by the end of this school year, with the rest of the development finished by the end of 2024.

Marcus Poyntz.jpeg — Marcus Poyntz grew up around Louisville's Smoketown neighborhood an is excited to watch the corner of Breckinridge and Hancock streets transform. (WDRB photo/Feb. 19, 2024)

Cure Violence is a global nonprofit that works to implement violence prevention programs in cities that "are effective in significantly reducing violence." According to Metro Public Safety, Cure Violence recognizes violent crime as a public health epidemic and uses violence prevention strategies associated with disease control — detecting and interrupting conflicts, identifying and treating highest-risk individuals, and changing social norms.

To learn more about Cure Violence, click here.

YouthBuild Louisville is "an education, job training, and leadership program that provides low-income young adults, ages 18-24, opportunities to realize their potential as active community leaders and an educated workforce for Louisville."

For more information about YouthBuild, click here.

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