COVINGTON, Ky. — The LEGO-themed restaurant, the Brickery Café and Play, announced its doors are closing. It is one of several businesses struggling to stay afloat in the region, citing the cliosure of Daniel Carter Beard Bridge as a key factor in its closure.       

What You Need To Know

  • The Brickery Cafe & Play, the first LEGO cafe' in the country, announced it is closing

  • Several area businesses are struggling to remain open. The recent "Big Mac" bridge closure didn't help

  • City leaders have created initiatives such as "Dine NKY" and "Bridge Back Business" to help buying local

From cafés to boutiques, small businesses across northern Kentucky are struggling to keep their doors open.

Pat Frew, executive director of the Covington Business Council, said, “When speaking with small business owners they’ve shared a decrease in foot traffic,” Frew said.

While there have been some closures in the past few months, the most recent was the Brickery Café and Play in Newport on the Levee.

In a written statement posted to their Facebook, owners Daniel and Serenity Johnson, announced they were closing their business.

“Like many other North Kentucky businesses, we were greatly impacted by the bridge closing. We put our whole heart into this thing, and we will be forever grateful to those of you who made it a joy to come to work. We truly enjoyed building with you.”

The Big Mac Bridge underwent construction after a fire damaged the bridge in Nov. 2024. The bridge has reopened, but businesses are still affected.

Frew said, "It’s unfortunate that the bridge closure happened when it did.... It happened at a time when restaurants and bars have their leanest times right after the first of the year through Valentine’s Day.”

Hayley Ward, a long time northern Kentucky resident, shared her disappoint to all the closures. 

“It’s definitely sad. A lot of the businesses are closing. I know that they did a lot to try to rebuild the Levee from where it was a couple of years ago,” Ward said. “I was just looking around, trying to figure out how these businesses were even staying in business because there’s not a whole lot of foot traffic or anything.”

Several surrounding business councils, city leaders, the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce and meetNKY have created initiatives like “Dine NKY” and “Bridging Back Businesses” to help. Frew continued to say they support locally-owned and small-owned businesses. 

“We can encourage people and broadcast the fact that we’re offering these deals and discounts, Frew said. “Now, with the weather warming up, we’re hoping that more people will just go out and dine.”

While they’re working to make an impact, the Brickery’s closure is a reminder of the challenges small businesses are facing.

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