PHOTO ESSAY MADISONVILLE MOMENTUM

IT TAKES A VILLAGE

Declining neighborhood business districts don’t turn around overnight, nor does one person make it happen alone. But it does take dedicated residents and small business owners to restart a neighborhood’s momentum, which has been clear to see in Madisonville.

WELCOMING ‘EM TO THE DISTRICT

Brothers Austin and Tony Ferrari and mom Theresa opened the second location of their Mom and ‘Em Coffee & Wine (this page) in Madisonville earlier this year; their first is in Camp Washington. Food & Wine magazine named Mom and ‘Em the best coffee shop in Ohio. The Whetsel Avenue location is open 8 a.m.–3 p.m. daily and offers a Bistro Night dinner menu Fridays and Saturdays.

STOREFRONTS WORTH SUPPORT

Madisonville is one of 11 neighborhood business districts supported by “Storefronts to the Forefront,” a marketing and economic development program funded by Duke Energy and the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber. See more about the program on page 46.

A GOOD NEIGHBOR

Sheryl and John Vojtush purchased Bad Tom Smith Brewing (this page) in 2015 and moved it to Madisonville in November 2019. The business name honors an Eastern Kentucky outlaw from the late 1800s who was hanged for his crimes and famously said at the end, “Bad whiskey and bad women have brought me where I am.”

LOTS OF OPTIONS

Head Brewer Sean Smith manages the company’s 20-barrel brewing system, along with a second system for small batch brews, which are in Batavia. The taproom has 18 craft taps and serves Bad Tom Smith Breathitt County & Cheating the Gallows Straight Bourbon, along with a line of craft cocktails. Located in an old bank building, the space can seat more than 100 guests.

HER OWN STYLE

Cincinnati native Shawnte Barker (above) is a graduate of UC’s College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning who opened Stylish LeNese Boutique on Whetsel Avenue in 2019, just before the pandemic kicked in. She moved back to Cincinnati after spending 15 years designing for major fashion retailers such as New York & Co. and Macy’s in New York City.

DEFINING A MADISONVILLE LOOK

The boutique sells curated and classically designed clothing and accessories for women and girls ranging in sizes from Small to 3X and junior sizes from 12 months to 9/10. It also offers upcycled and reworked stylist services and customizable T-shirt designs, as well as tailoring and alterations for apparel and home goods. Barker also hosts “sip and shop” and seasonal fashion show events.

REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE

Gabrielle Lauren’s interest in cutting out excess waste in her own life grew into a full-fledged community initiative and eventually, in late 2020, into a Madisonville storefront called Fill More Waste Less (this page). She says that zero waste is a lifestyle and a mindset around reducing the amount of trash we all produce on a daily basis. She likes to live by the five R’s: reduce the amount of things you need, reuse what you can, recycle responsibly, refuse things you don’t need, and rot-compost what you can.

A GOOD NEIGHBOR

Fill More Waste Less is designed to help customers start their zero waste journey, knowing that it’s a process and not something you perfect overnight. The store offers a selection of refill options (from body lotion to laundry detergent) and zero waste essentials (from dish towels and bamboo utensils to glass straws and recycled crayons). It’s open Wednesday through Sunday and by appointment on Tuesday.