Dick’s Drive-In Liquor on East Ninth Street was an old-school kind of place long before that phrase took on such meaning in popular culture.
Established 57 years ago at the outskirts of downtown between Little River and Skyline Drive, it advertised itself well with a big neon sign. Regular customers had two options. They could buy liquor and beer to take home, or they could sit down right there at the counter for a drink if they wanted to stay awhile.
“This is iconic to me. It’s like Cheers,” owner Mindy Golladay Hargrove said.
Customers can still drink at the counter, but there are changes afoot at Dick’s.
Hargrove, who bought the business in October, has added a pavilion and tables out back, and she sells barbecue chicken, brisket and pork Tuesday through Saturday from a large food truck on the property.
Hargrove hopes customers who wouldn’t be comfortable going inside the liquor store will be more likely to stop by the pavilion for barbecue.
The business is now officially Dick’s Drive-In and BBQ. It retains the name of its first owner, Dick Bostick, because, as Hargrove notes, that neon sign out front is a big statement that couldn’t be changed without great effort and expense.
Special events are in the works at Dick’s.
On Thursday, July 18, for example, the She Shed Crafting Shop will host a sip and paint party at the pavilion. Everyone who attends will create a painting on canvas, and Hargrove will serve a pork taco bar and two frozen alcoholic beverages to each participant.
The cost for the package is $65. The party begins at 6 p.m., and tickets can be purchased on Event Brite.
Karaoke and corn hole games happen at the pavilion every Saturday from 8 p.m. to midnight.
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Hargrove, who until recently coached local softball teams, is a school nurse at Indian Hills Elementary and runs a couple of side businesses. She rents rock climbing walls and does catering.
“I’m always up for a new adventure — plus, I’m looking for a retirement plan,” she said, acknowledging her busy schedule.
Hargrove’s business partner is her brother, Bruce Golladay.
The liquor store is open 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Wednesday and 7 a.m. to midnight Thursday through Saturday.
The barbecue truck opens at 11 a.m. Tuesday through Saturday. It closes around 4 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday and midnight on Saturdays. Pork is $8.50 a pound, brisket is $13.50 a pound and tacos are 2 for $5. Sandwiches, sides and soft drinks are also available.
Jennifer P. Brown is co-founder, publisher and editor of Hoptown Chronicle. You can reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org. She spent 30 years as a reporter and editor at the Kentucky New Era. She is a co-chair of the national advisory board to the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, governing board president for the Kentucky Historical Society, and co-founder of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition.
