'Virtue will never give up': Louisville bar owner vows to fight after alcohol sales vote

Virtue Bar and Lounge owner Toney Frank has no intention of shutting down his business following the vote of residents in Louisville's Clifton area to ban alcohol sales.

"Virtue will never give up," he said. "It's not in our cards. It's not in our DNA."

Precinct N163 became dry after 60.8% of voters answered "no" to the question, "Are you in favor of the sale of alcoholic beverages in Jefferson County precinct N163?"

This will most notably affect Frank's bar, restaurant and hookah lounge, which makes 40% of its revenue from alcohol sales.

The measure was put on the ballot after a successful petition started by neighbors, who associate litter, people urinating in yards, street racing and even shots being fired with the presence of the bar.

Residents felt that local Alcoholic Beverage Control and Louisville Metro Police could not do enough about the neighborhood's issues and took matters into their own hands.

Leading up to the vote, the petitioners encouraged their neighbors to go to the polls, said Clifton Heights Community Council President Alison Johnson.

"I understand that the group of residents that got the vote on the ballot have done a door-to-door encouraging registered voters to vote," she said.

Then, on Election Day, those neighbors were victorious. Sixty days from the entry date of the certificate − which should happen within the next couple of days − the sale of alcohol will be banned in N163. This should be right around the second week of January.

"The residents of that neighborhood − especially those that voted − plus many more nearby neighbors are mostly pleased, yet apprehensive regarding possible repercussions," Johnson said on behalf of the neighbors.

Frank said he has legal counsel and will not go down without a fight.

"We fought COVID, so why can't we fight this?" he said. "It's not over, and we're not closing. The doors are open today."

The bar and restaurant has been operating for about six years. It relocated from Old Louisville to the location off Brownsboro Road a little over a year ago, after some residents said it had become a disturbance. Frank said they outgrew the previous venue and needed more space to accommodate the patrons.

This vote could mean moving again, but Frank hasn't made any decisions about that yet.

"Moving is definitely an option," he said. "Staying and figuring this thing out is also an option."

He strongly believes this was racially motivated.

"It is because we are a predominantly minority-owned, minority-supported business," he said. "There's nothing they can tell me differently because it's evident due to the amount of things that have happened at predominantly white establishments and how there hasn't been this consequence."

Johnson previously told The Courier Journal she wasn't aware of patrons of specific races going to Virtue Bar.

"From what I hear from people, there's not a racial bias," she said. "It's more that (the patrons) are uncontrolled and they're violent."

Councilman Jecorey Arthur, who represents the area as the District 4 Louisville Metro Council person, said some of the language surrounding this issue has raised concerns with him, too.

"I just know when I've talked with residents and have went back and forth with folks, there have been racial undertones about the business and 'those types of people,'" he said. "Do I still feel like there are racial undertones? Absolutely. It's the United States of America. There's always going to be racial undertones, but I don't think you're going to convince the people who are dealing with those issues and struggling with a business that there's some racism involved in the problem."

In the future, he hopes neighborhood bars and residents can work together to tackle issues. But, he also said this is a signal to young people who already don't feel like there are enough places catered to them in Louisville to be mindful of their actions.

"If the people who were causing those issues are patrons of this business, I hope that they see this as an example of how their decisions can impact others," he said.

He said actions cannot only affect a business owner but also take away one of a "handful of venues that we can go and feel like we have a belonging and a place where we can be us and celebrate our culture."

Frank said he watched the votes trickle in with some of his employees Tuesday night. They will have jobs through the holidays, but "2024 is up in the air," he said.

While the bar and restaurant may look different in the new year, Frank said he won't give up on his business.

"So if the hope was we're going to demolish and get rid of Virtue, tell them to pray a different prayer because it's not in our cards," he said.

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There is also a Family Dollar in the same plaza that sells beer, and it also will also have to adjust to the new law.

Marathon Liquor was attempting to open a store in an empty building next to the bar, but this business model will no longer be acceptable in the precinct.

Reach reporter Eleanor McCrary at EMcCrary@courier-journal.com or at @ellie_mccrary on X, formerly known as Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Virtue Bar and Lounge won't close despite wet/dry vote, owner says