A second restaurant in downtown Hopkinsville is temporarily closed because of property damages sustained in the March 31 storm.
Big Fella’z, a small eatery on East Ninth Street known for its wings, Philly cheesesteak, fried catfish and soul food plates, was struck by bricks blown out of the adjacent Woody Winfree Fire and Transportation Museum, said owner Geneva Baker.
The East Ninth Street restaurant building had roof damage and is now covered in a huge blue tarp. There is also some interior damage, and the stove hood will have to be replaced, said Baker.
Ben Payne, who bought the building a few weeks ago, said he wants to help get the restaurant back open as soon as possible. However, the museum building repairs are a factor in the timing of the restaurant repairs.
Big Fella’z opened four years ago. The business name was inspired by a nickname for one of their sandwiches. It’s also a nod to Baker’s promise that “nobody is leaving hungry” if they stop by her restaurant.
Baker, 46, describes the menu as “anything that your mom or your grandma would fix.” She learned to cook from watching her mother, the late Patricia Merritt, and her mother-in-law, Cassandra Fox.
According to the National Weather Service, straight-line winds of 80 to 85 mph (and as high as 90 mph in some places) damaged several downtown properties and residential areas late on March 31.
The Mixer restaurant on Sixth Street sustained major damages with the portion of the roof and top floor destroyed.
Baker said Big Fella’z is her main source of income, so she needs to get back to work as soon as possible.
“I love the area we’re in,” she told Hoptown Chronicle. “I actually like the small setting because you don’t have as much overhead. We are more of a hands-on place with a smaller crowd.”
Jennifer P. Brown is co-founder, publisher and editor of Hoptown Chronicle. You can reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org. Brown was a reporter and editor at the Kentucky New Era, where she worked for 30 years. She is a co-chair of the national advisory board to the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, governing board past president for the Kentucky Historical Society, and co-founder of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition. She serves on the Hopkinsville History Foundation's board.
