Downtown Louisville business owners say city is on the rebound following protests, pandemic

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - In downtown Louisville, it’s not hard to spot a blur of cars dashing through an intersection or the countdown of a crosswalk blinking orange as people make their way around town.

It’s sights like these, and the receipts that follow, that downtown business owners said are proof Louisville is on the rebound.

“Weekends, business is great,” George Timmering, the co-owner of Bearno’s by the Bridge, told WAVE 3 News. “It’s as good as pre-COVID, other than we’re not staying open as late.”

After a tough year of COVID shutdowns and storefronts plastered with plywood after protests, people like Todd Warren, whose family has owned MPI printing at Second and Jefferson since 1973, claim perception is something those downtown are working on.

“The perception needs to change,” he said. “Downtown is safe. We’re welcoming. We need businesses to come back downtown. We need the corporations to come back down. We need the employees back in order to have everybody basically prosper. I think it’s going to get there. It’s just a matter of time.”

Warren said he believes programs like LouNeedsYou are helping the city rebound.

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