Construction began early this week at The Mixer restaurant, the downtown property that sustained the heaviest damage in the March 31 storm that struck Hopkinsville.
The late 19th century building is surrounded on two sides with scaffolding as crews replace brick walls blown out by straight-line winds that the National Weather Service determined to be around 85 mph.
Restaurant co-owner Heather Dawson, who runs The Mixer with her husband, Graham Dawson, said they hope to be back in business in nine to 10 months. But several factors could affect the construction schedule.
“Honestly, I hope it’s sooner than that,” she said. “But the issue is going to be supplies that have to come in for them to finish everything.”
Located in the former Young Hardware building, the restaurant opened in December 2019.
Almost immediately after the storm ripped away part of the roof and second floor, the Dawsons and building owner Hal McCoy had agreed they wanted to repair the historic Sixth Street property. A structural engineer confirmed that the building could be repaired, said Heather Dawson.
In addition to the building’s damages, some of the restaurant equipment and interior furnishings were damaged by water when pipes burst.
Dawson said she’s grateful they decided to invest in insurance that covers their equipment and supply loses. Their policy will also pay some of the restaurant employees for up to one year. It covers all of the hourly wages for the five to six kitchen workers. Other employees, such as servers and bartenders, relied on tips for a portion of their wages so the policy doesn’t fully cover them. A GoFundMe is raising money to help the workers.
The restaurant had 26 employees. “The majority of our staff had to go get jobs elsewhere,” Dawson said.
The Mixer had opened a companion business called Baked in the adjacent Sixth Street building last year. The bakery, which shares spaces with The Apron Wife gift store, has also been affected by the storm. Recently roof damage was discovered at that building, so future repairs could cause some temporary closures, said Dawson. The bakery was slated to be open Friday, April 28, and Saturday, April 29.
Once issues with that building are resolved, Dawson said Baked could expand some of its offerings while The Mixer is closed. She’s considering selling sandwiches and meat pies, along with a coffee service.
The Mixer will plan some pop-up restaurants at places like Hopkinsville Brewing Co. Dawson has also been thinking of special merchandise, such as storm survivor T-shirts, that could help during the closure.
In the days since the storm, the Dawsons have received hundreds of calls, personal visits and text messages from patrons and other downtown business owners.
“It makes you realize how much people love what you’ve brought to the community,” Dawson said.
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.
