Bolt Marketing with Ryan Filchak!

When Ryan Filchak says marketing puts a magnifying glass on a company, he means it exposes everything: what you promise, what you actually deliver, and whether customers can understand you in ten seconds. Ryan joins us to break down what Bolt Marketing does in Lexington, from branding and messaging to websites, photography, video, SEO, ad campaigns, and social media, and why the best client work starts with one uncomfortable question: “Why do we want this?”

We also get into the fun parts: building community in a way that does not feel like traditional networking. Bolt’s happy hours have grown from a tiny, weather-threatened meetup to packed rooms through consistency, hospitality, and collaborations with other local businesses and civic groups. He shares how bartending and event work taught him to read a room, welcome people fast, and keep the energy warm without forcing connection.

Then we zoom out to what’s next for Lexington culture. Ryan is helping launch Good Reception Records, a new record store coming to Southland Drive with a coffee shop partner, plus pop-ups, DJs, and physical media for people who still love vinyl, cassettes, and CDs. We compare Lexington and Chicago on food, nightlife, and the kind of sound-forward spaces that make a city feel authentic.

Transcript

unknown 0:06

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 0:06

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 0:08

Okay, great. Ready? Okay, great.

Meet Ryan Filchek

SPEAKER_00 0:11

I am back with the Inside the Block podcast. And today I'm joined by Ryan Filchek. Hi. How are you? Very well. I mean, it's incredible all the different things that you do in Lexington. I don't even know where to start. Why don't you introduce yourself? Tell us a little bit about you.

SPEAKER_01 0:25

Yeah, absolutely. So, Ryan Filchek here on Inside the Block Podcast. I am originally from Ver Sales. I live here in Lexington now. Went to Transi for undergrad and then UK for grad school, where I studied art history and visual studies, really playing it, playing it safe as far as my career choices. And then in 2015, moved to Chicago, where I worked with contemporary art galleries and then primarily in the food and beverage space, working with land and sea department, uh creative studio up there, and then moved back in 2021. Um so been back now for five years, and so my my full-time job, my day job is working with bolt

What Bolt Marketing Really Does

SPEAKER_01 1:08

marketing.

SPEAKER_00 1:08

I love bolt marketing. Tell us about bolt. I I love bolt too.

SPEAKER_01 1:12

So yeah, we're a small creative agency here in Lexington. Eight should be going on nine years old, right? So nine years old creative agency, we handle everything from messaging to branding to website, photography, video, and then on through with ongoing services, SEO, ad campaigns, social media management, this kind of thing. And so really what we do, and like oftentimes our our greatest partnerships, the greatest relationships that we have are with small businesses, and you know, case in point here, generally small businesses in the area. You know, like we look at our client list and it's like old Kentucky chocolates, yeah. Kentucky Castle.

SPEAKER_00 1:57

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:58

You have some good ones though. Defender Kentucky three day you've seen a theme here. Uh, but yeah, it it's it's

Updating Legacy Brands Without Rebranding

SPEAKER_01 2:05

really nice.

SPEAKER_00 2:05

Well, I saw recently what you did, you revamped Old Kentucky Chocolates website. That's right. Yeah. And so I and I'm I'm a fan. So I had seen that website multiple times before. I mean, it was like an incredible, I mean, not a rebrand per se, but it like brought them into the next level of of that advertising and marketing.

SPEAKER_01 2:23

No, 100%. And I think that's often where like we can kind of pair very nicely. Like, they are a well-established company, they are doing fine. They are Kentucky. Yeah, like they've been here longer than me. They will be here longer than me. Like it's all good. But I think what's always so nice is that there are these moments. I'm thinking too of a friend's family company, Nitra, who had been in business for 30 years, uh, and had not, because they're busy, they're growing the business, they're occupied with these other things, had not taken the time to invest in marketing. So we were able to kind of retroactively revamp their website and and build them some assets and you know, kind of tell a story that had changed and evolved. Like oftentimes it's like it's not that the story like hasn't been told, but it changes, right? And so, like as things continue to expand, the like coming up alongside a company like that and being able to support them in some endeavors that they've never done before, hugely validating.

SPEAKER_00 3:26

Absolutely. And then in that you get to really see, and people get to like talk about their process, right? That's what's always so fascinating to me is like not only the evolution of it, but like the process of like how the sausage is made, so to speak, with these small businesses.

SPEAKER_01 3:38

100%, you know. Uh Jace Fairchild, founder of Bolt, you know, he says this a lot, and it's I I've really taken it to heart. It's a you know, like when we start to do marketing for a company, we're putting a magnifying glass on that company. Yeah, good and bad, right? Right. And everything that comes with that, and and oftentimes it's like going well beyond like we want a new logo. Okay, yeah, that's great. But like, why do we want a new logo? And it's like, well, we want a new logo because we want to increase sales. So now you're discussing like how it is you present yourself to your customers, and you're touching all of the facets of the business, even though like the project is maybe uh you know a visual representation, but it it bleeds through into every aspect, and you know, kind of working with companies in that way, small businesses in that way, regional entities in that way, it feels like a privilege, right?

SPEAKER_00 4:38

Oh, for sure. Yeah. I mean, because you get to see behind the scenes, but you're also like pushing it forward and helping them kind of realize things, and I'm sure it's a really great symbiotic relationship in that way. 100%.

Happy Hours That Do Not Feel Stuffy

SPEAKER_00 4:50

Yeah. I don't miss a um bulk marketing happy hour. I think you guys are doing like so tell like where's what's the idea behind that?

SPEAKER_01 4:59

Yeah, absolutely. So uh 2024, I think we had our first event. We've had 10 now in total. They kind of range from when we move into a new office, we had a grand opening, inviting customers in. Uh, we've hosted happy hours at again, other small businesses, some that are not clients of ours, like Burl Brew, and then we've been to West Six, Wisbird Cider, uh, the Willow, Camel Club, and then our most recent one was at Georgie's, right? And so that, you know, like here's the thing that was an effort early on when I was with Bull, when I was like, okay, working with a marketing agency is not like it's not something I went to school for, it's not something I was super familiar with, but having these backgrounds in events and hospitality, in like spaces with open doors, like it was like, can we apply this element to a marketing agency? So that was that was kind of the impetus, right? And so then it became kind of two different series, the happy hours, which is like we're gonna we're gonna pop up.

SPEAKER_00 6:06

Yeah, a couple hours. It's great for networking too, yeah. And there's get a bunch of people together, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 6:11

Yeah, and we try and yeah. There's a thing there too, right? Like we we try not to, or I think about not wanting to use that word uh networking.

SPEAKER_00 6:21

Yeah, yeah. Okay, so we're we're rebranding networking. I mean, what is Bolt doing?

SPEAKER_01 6:27

That I want to go to, sure, and anyone that has ever been called a networking event is not what I want to go back to.

SPEAKER_00 6:31

Because when we think about it, the connotation really is like, it's my parents, it's a stuffy like hotel ballroom, right? You know, it's like one everybody's has not business cards and in suits. And you guys are really, I mean, you're doing you're doing really fun things with it. And I think one of the smartest things you're doing is you're collabing with other organizations, like your one at Georgie's was with Civic Lex. And so it was an opportunity to not only maybe meet Civic Lex people, but also the people that are also supportive of Civic Lex. So it's like a like-minded non-networking networking. Totally.

SPEAKER_01 7:02

And it's like, you know, that that word aside, like, of course, that's what I'm trying to do. And and we talk about like, you know, what is this perfect? What does a happy hour look like on a perfect scale? And like on a perfect scenario, it is 10 small business owners who cannot wait to invest in marketing and really need our services and want to talk. The reality is different, right? The reality is like, yeah, there may be a few of those folks, and we hope that there are, but it's those folks plus our peers, plus colleague peers, plus uh creatives in the industry, other um marketing individuals, and then like friends, family, and and current clients. And so then it becomes like a much bigger mix, and and so trying to cultivate that environment has been uh really nice to pursue and really rewarding to see uh see it succeed, right? Like the first one we did at Burlboro, we're talking like 15 people, and and shout out to those 15 people. Like I think we had yeah, I think there was a weather advisory, like we were on the cusp of canceling it.

SPEAKER_00 8:07

You were partying in the storm, 100%.

SPEAKER_01 8:09

And and it was just like uh I had also screwed up my calendar, I was supposed to be uh in Charleston that same day. That's neither here nor there. No, of course not, but we were like, we're gonna go through with this, and again, shout out to those 10 people who came through. And then, you know, Georgia, I think we had 70, 80 people, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 8:26

Oh, yeah, it was packed.

SPEAKER_01 8:28

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 8:28

Your reputation starting to proceed yourself.

SPEAKER_01 8:31

Yeah, it's nice to see it's nice to see something snowball in a way where it's just like you are consistent, you are thorough with this.

SPEAKER_00 8:38

Well, it's organic, you know, it doesn't nothing feels forced with that. Like this is starting to become this like club, not club per se, but like it's it's a great opportunity for anybody to come. It's just great people, very welcoming. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 8:51

That that's the idea. And you know, it's like I want to do these things in a way that I would want to show up to. Sure. And and hope that people do.

SPEAKER_00 8:59

But your

Hospitality Skills That Power Events

SPEAKER_00 9:00

event planning background must really help. I mean, how did you get into event planning? Like, what are the pitfalls? Like, what are I mean, I that's always that's always been a field that's really interested me too.

SPEAKER_01 9:10

I mean, again, I've been a bartender or was a bartender for a long time.

SPEAKER_00 9:14

So you've seen it all, you know.

SPEAKER_01 9:15

So, like, there's a very real, like, people are coming at you from every angle, and and you're gonna show them a really nice time.

SPEAKER_00 9:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 9:26

Or, or hope to. Sure. Or do everything in your yes. The goal is that they leave and be like, wow, that was really nice. Yeah, you know, and and you do that a hundred times in an evening, five days a week for 10 years. Like, you you kind of sharpen some skills, how to like read a room and host somebody and provide hospitality, not only when it is really easy and your friends come through and they say what's up, but like when it's hard. And the person across from you is not someone you want to be necessarily across from you, but you are still extending that same level of hospitality.

SPEAKER_00 10:00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 10:01

So that would be, I would say, where it starts. And then, you know, kind of working with galleries. That was the reason I moved back to Lexington was, you know, uh, my wife and I were both working for hospitality land and sea department in Chicago, then COVID hit. Then we're not, right? And and we had talked about moving back to Lexington, and basically I picked up a conversation where I had not wanted to work uh as the director of 193 because all these restaurants were booming, we were opening concepts in in new states, green lights all the way. And and then and then it all dissipated. So then it was like, I would I would like to do this now, please. You know, if you will please have it. So all that to say that same there was a common denominator of like I have something I want to share with you.

SPEAKER_00 10:55

Totally.

SPEAKER_01 10:56

Be it a restaurant, be it an art exhibition, our doors are open. I would like you to come in here and I would like to leave, or I would like you to leave with a good impression.

SPEAKER_00 11:05

Yeah. Oh, I mean, you beyond succeed at that for sure. I and I like I like too that you know, I feel the same way in terms of you're you have a very varied background, you know, you're pulling from skills from lots of different types of backgrounds, and sometimes you know, you're you're finding creative ways to make that work for you know the position that you're in and pushing that position and maybe different directions that they wouldn't have thought of otherwise.

SPEAKER_01 11:30

100%. And and major shout out to the team at Bolt to being like very open to that, right? Because there's a world where two years we're into this thing and it's like, hey man, no one's showing up. You know, like we should pivot. Despite your best intentions, despite all of the program we've put around this to kind of share what it is that we're doing and invite people into the conversation, like no one's really picking it up, you know. And like I think that was a very much a reality to try and like do something atypical for a marketing agency.

An Office Built For Collaboration

SPEAKER_01 12:03

You know, I don't think it's um, I don't think it's a coincidence that we're we're we moved into an office about a year ago on Main Street.

SPEAKER_00 12:10

It's such a sick location. Very good. I mean, I would eat at Easton Tap and Table every day. Like you're basically next door.

SPEAKER_01 12:16

We share a wall.

SPEAKER_00 12:17

We share a wall. But I'm basically your next door.

SPEAKER_01 12:20

You know, like I love it. Uh yeah, they're they're fantastic. And and yeah, I think, you know, it is not a coincidence that like where Chase and I have our office is in that front room and and we want to be on mainstream. We want people to come in the door, and we want people to, you know, collaborative from the the get-go, yeah. As as much as it possibly can be. And and so like pushing for that and making that a tenant of of what we do, like that pushes the events and that pushes like the marketing of ourselves, which had always been kind of a challenge, right? The cobblers kids have no shoes, so like what we were really good at doing for other people, we were not as good at doing for ourselves.

SPEAKER_00 13:05

But you've now taken time to kind of like step back and do that, yeah. 100%.

SPEAKER_01 13:09

Yeah, since since you moved into the offices, since we've moved into the offices and since about two years ago, really. Like because I, you know, going further back, uh like when I was working at 193, that's where Chase and I meet, right? He comes into an exhibit, he's with his wife, his friends, and and that's where we meet and kind of conversations started from there, right? And and at that time, getting to know him, getting to know the company before I worked with them, it was like you guys are doing great stuff, and I'm not sure too many people know.

SPEAKER_00 13:41

Right.

SPEAKER_01 13:42

Other than the people you're doing great work for. And so that, like, yeah, it it's been a challenge to try and like do the thing for yourself that you're good at doing for someone else.

SPEAKER_00 13:54

I completely agree. I'm thinking about like all these other times in my life too, where I'm like, yeah, maybe I should apply those, you know, skills.

SPEAKER_01 14:02

I mean, you know, case in point, the years I was a bartender never once made myself a cocktail. You know, it is cold as beer, shot of bourbon, that's it, despite being in the trenches all day long, having skills, having the knowledge.

SPEAKER_00 14:15

Maybe you just never want to.

SPEAKER_01 14:17

No.

SPEAKER_00 14:17

I I was a server all through grad school, and I they m made me bartend for a couple of weeks, and I remember I couldn't handle the eye contact, like just being stared at and like the stress. Because at least when you're a server, you can like walk away from the table. It's less like I was like, this shouldn't be that stressful. Everybody's in one spot. It was beyond stressful because they're all in one spot.

SPEAKER_01 14:35

You were on display, you were you're a performer.

SPEAKER_00 14:37

I bet you were such a good bartender, though.

SPEAKER_01 14:38

I I was I was okay.

SPEAKER_00 14:40

Yeah, I was hard, a very modest bartender.

SPEAKER_01 14:44

Yeah, efficient. That's the thing that I liked about it. It was like small, repeatable tasks. And in that regard, I I really took to it.

SPEAKER_00 14:53

Yeah. Um, would you have a lot of patrons that would like hang out and just want to talk and talk and talk?

SPEAKER_01 15:00

100%. Yes, those those people are there.

SPEAKER_00 15:03

It just made you great at events, right? Because you're having to like, you know, there's a multitask.

SPEAKER_01 15:08

Yeah, you can you can roll people off. That's a skill in and of itself. Yeah. Oh, have you met show and so yes, the best?

SPEAKER_00 15:16

Yeah. Oh, you have this in common.

SPEAKER_01 15:18

Oh, you'll never believe what happened. And then you just vanished. Yeah. Uh, this is a good question for Jenna. Like, yeah, because we worked together for many. That's how we met. We worked together. Uh, we met working together as bartenders.

SPEAKER_00 15:32

Uh oh, I didn't know that.

SPEAKER_01 15:33

Yeah. At Dose Urban Canteen in Chicago.

SPEAKER_00 15:36

Cool.

SPEAKER_01 15:36

And then we applied to go work at another place. And so we're working at two bars. Um, yeah, for for many years.

SPEAKER_00 15:45

I love your wife. I think she does such incredible work and with her floral arrangements are like works of art. Insane. She's great. The best. And I I love seeing her right before like a big like holiday. Well, I love and I feel sorry for her because I you can just tell she's like, it's it's been a it's Mother's Day. It's been a moment, you know. She's like, there's flowers all over our place.

SPEAKER_01 16:06

Right. Yes. I've been trimming stems. We we've had 15 pickups.

SPEAKER_00 16:10

Do you help out with the flowers?

SPEAKER_01 16:12

Uh only in the sense that I'm like sometimes carrying buckets.

SPEAKER_00 16:15

Yeah, I okay. You're manual labor.

SPEAKER_01 16:18

That's right. Okay. I'm moving objects from A to B, but outside of that, I'm not really helping.

SPEAKER_00 16:23

Gotcha. Well, I mean, one day maybe she'll move you up a little bit. Right.

SPEAKER_01 16:29

I'm not holding my breath. I am not holding my breath.

SPEAKER_00 16:33

Okay, so speaking of the Bolt team, you guys are like onward and upward with. I mean, you've got a huge new project that's happening. Tell me all about it.

SPEAKER_01 16:41

That's right.

Launching Good Reception Records

SPEAKER_01 16:42

So um, good reception records. Yes. Uh, this is again, you're gonna see a theme here. Chase Fairchild, founder of Bolt, uh, decided he wanted to open a record shop.

SPEAKER_00 16:53

Um because why not?

SPEAKER_01 16:54

Kind that's kind of how yeah, yeah. I yeah, it's nice to see someone's mind working that way where it's just like this, yeah. Let's see, I'll overthink everything. And he's just like, go to an nth degree, yeah. Um, but yeah, it's a group of us, uh, Sam Myers, graphic designer at Bolt, who's the graphic designer for the shop, Josh Bittner, Chris Skiles, uh Chase, myself, and then uh Cam Taylor as well. So there's a lot of overlap between us and Bolt, but the the plan is to open uh a brick and mortar space on Southland at 500 Southland Drive.

SPEAKER_00 17:34

Where is that exactly on? I love Southland.

SPEAKER_01 17:36

It is that standalone former doctor's office building across from the BP. Okay, so it's standalone if you're coming from Rosemont, you turn it on to Southland. Okay, it's that first building on your right.

SPEAKER_00 17:51

Okay, near Aguas Calientis, everything to me is like based on Aguas Calientes. I'm like, where's this in relation to my favorite tacos?

SPEAKER_01 17:59

Yes, okay, further down, cool, yeah, cool, great, and so like so it'll be inside it record shop. There'll be a you know, a brick and mortar footprint there, and then John Coffee will be the coffee shop that will take up the print, you know, majority of the space. Fabulous, yeah, and so it's a partnership, we're kind of housed within their entity. Uh, but yeah, really good stuff.

SPEAKER_00 18:22

Yeah. When is there a projected open date or August?

SPEAKER_01 18:27

This year? Yeah, yeah. Great. We're going August September in this moment.

SPEAKER_00 18:31

Amazing.

SPEAKER_01 18:32

Yeah, big very little facts to support that.

SPEAKER_00 18:35

But uh throwing that out there to the gods. Yeah, if you build it, they will come. 100%.

SPEAKER_01 18:40

And and it's been yeah, it's been really nice. You know, we were talking, we've essentially made a second marketing company that happens to sell records, and and so we've sponsored a couple of events or festivals now, Tulsawn Music Festival in Southland.

SPEAKER_00 18:57

Oh, that's you guys.

SPEAKER_01 18:58

Oh, your sponsor, you're you are sponsored. Gotcha.

SPEAKER_00 19:00

You are and then collab with that.

SPEAKER_01 19:02

We were a sponsor of Sleeping in the Woods, yes, uh, and Monticello.

SPEAKER_00 19:07

Yeah. And as a little music fest, right? That's right. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 19:11

And then we've been hosting more events, uh, pop-ups at Burl Brew, where we'll have a couple of record vendors, uh, folks spending vinyl, DJing, and then uh also Lazy Lightning, which is a local Grateful Dead cover group, uh, which is now moving to Burl Brew as well. Cool first Thursday of every month. So yeah, yeah, it's starting to snowball in a in a very nice way, and come to fruition.

SPEAKER_00 19:39

So all only vinyl.

SPEAKER_01 19:41

Uh well, vinyl, cassette, cd, not only primarily physical media.

SPEAKER_00 19:46

Yes, gotcha. Very cool.

SPEAKER_01 19:48

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 19:49

And was this in any way spurned by the fact that you are also a DJ?

SPEAKER_01 19:53

Part of it, yes. Yeah, well, that was the thing. It's like Chase was like, we're doing this. And I was like, I don't, I don't know how you're gonna do it, you know. Like, I've never opened a record store, you've never opened a record store. Like, how and then it was just like, oh yeah, no, this looks like a lot of fun. I really very much like to be involved. And I'm you know, my bad.

Vinyl DJ Culture And Lexington’s Gap

SPEAKER_01 20:10

Whoops, yeah, no, I am in fact very interested by this. Um, but yeah, uh playing records, spin vinyl events, like this goes back to Chicago. I first started doing it there, and I think the really nice thing is like the events that I've hosted for myself to play records at spaces like Ona and Allesbar and places like that, like all of that comes from nothing original, right? Like, all of that comes from being like homesick for Chicago and that just being like a standard practice, right? Like great, great bars like Sportsman's Club, Rainbow Club, Ludlow Liquors, like they've just got turntables there, and there's DJs maybe four or five nights a week. And that was kind of how I got my foot in the door, was just like begging those guys to like let me play records on a Sunday night when nobody else wanted to. Yeah. And and then like when I moved back here, I missed that greatly. And I was like, well, then you know because Lexington just didn't have that.

SPEAKER_00 21:12

Like you were you feeling sort of like you were homesick for it, but were you feeling like a need?

SPEAKER_01 21:16

I yeah, and and I think there's still, you know, like there's still not a place that is like set up to do that. You know, it's me kind of forcing yourself upon yeah, like yeah, forcing the issue on on on situations where it's like, no, I'll I'll go buy a PA, or you know, I'll go rent a PA, I'll I'll grab the tables, you know. You've got an entire floor.

SPEAKER_00 21:39

So what does that say about Lexington? The word like just not hip enough. Yeah, you're bringing that, you know.

SPEAKER_01 21:44

There is there's ample opportunity, and I think the really nice thing is much like with the record store, and much like you know, vinyl DJ is like these are not new ideas.

SPEAKER_00 21:54

These are these are rather but new ideas for this area, I guess. Or like, yeah, where's the like the Where's the demand?

SPEAKER_01 22:01

Yeah, I I just think there's there's massive room for a bar that is set up with sound in mind. So you have DJs on a regular basis. Um yeah, I just there's not one of those places now, but uh there's absolutely no reason there couldn't be.

SPEAKER_00 22:17

Do you plan to do and you might have said this, and I apologize because I know you're doing all of these amazing like pop-ups everywhere else, but you're planning to do it at the record shop too? Yes. Okay, great. Yeah, so that is set up for you.

SPEAKER_01 22:28

Yeah, I we don't totally know what that looks like, but I I think that you know packing the car once a week will be really nice to be like, what if we had things here? Yeah, absolutely. A stationary space, right, and an address, yeah, you know, like so definitely anticipate hosting events. Uh I can't wait to see, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 22:50

Yeah, congratulations. Thanks. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 22:53

No, it's uh it's exciting. Um I I feel really lucky that these guys wanted me involved, right?

SPEAKER_00 22:59

You know, absolutely. Lexington needed it, and and there needs to be more coffee on Southland, quite frankly. It is uh is it it's a coffee wasteland. I mean, there there's a couple of great shops, but like yeah, y'all are y'all are feeling the need there too.

SPEAKER_01 23:12

Coffee doesn't, you know, seems like a pretty good idea. Absolutely. Coffee shop in anything, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 23:19

I love it. Okay, amazing. Oh okay, so tell me your thoughts. I mean, I I guess I didn't quite realize that you would only I've I knew you were born or like raised in Versales, that's right, and then you had left, but like I just assumed like all of your sort of like late, lately formative years were here in Lexington, but you were Chicago, and you've only been back since 2021. Yeah, how has Lexington changed in the time that you were

How Lexington Changed Since 2015

SPEAKER_00 23:43

gone? Do you think?

SPEAKER_01 23:44

Uh it has one like it has definitely changed. Uh, I think it has gotten more expensive.

SPEAKER_00 23:54

Without a doubt. I mean, but also my real estate.

SPEAKER_01 23:57

Yeah, yeah, it has gotten more expensive, but I also like my framework as being like 27 and bartending. You know, like my needs and my responsibilities at that time were significantly lower. So, like, yes, I do think things have gotten more expensive, but I don't think that that there are two things at play here, right? Like sure, both the town at large and you know, I grew up a little bit, right? Despite best intentions, despite my efforts, like that happened. I I think there are I I mean, I think there are you know, we're here in the warehouse block. That that to me is like a massive barometer, unbelievable, right?

SPEAKER_00 24:39

And so when I had come, and we've talked about this in other episodes slightly, but I think all of Lexington really knows like this, there's never been a bigger like shift, like a like an entire 180 of what this area used to be and what it is now. And and you were like a part of the formative parts of that, right?

SPEAKER_01 24:58

Well, that was the thing, is like in 2015, ostensibly my last job in Lexington. I'm the bar manager of National Provisions.

SPEAKER_00 25:06

National Provisions, which is now Eppings on East Side. So that building, yes, yes.

SPEAKER_01 25:11

And so National Provisions was owned by the same folks who ran Table 310, where I was previously the bar manager there before we opened the browser at National, right? And so it was a multi-concept property, uh, boulinger, uh, cafe, beer garden, uh, grocery store, just a massively ambitious and impressive situation that was like very, very exciting to be a part of. And that was that was 10 years ago now. And like we we were moving in kind of with this idea that what the warehouse block has now become, like we were going to be the pioneers, yeah. We were going like it was good, we were gonna move in, everything was gonna be gangbusters, and then the next day everybody else would move in. That's not exactly how it works. You build a brassery and they woke up, right? Yeah, if you create an incredibly pretentious and inaccessible cocktail menu, they'll flood through the doors, and that's not what happened, uh, unfortunately. But the like I still stand by, like it was a very, very exciting time. It attracted everybody worth their salt of uh or or with any talent in in the food and beverage space to to be a part of those places, and really so there were people that were like leaving their situations to like come and and make national provisions a thing too? Yes, I'm sure there was a little bit of that, sure, but like you know, table 310 was such a hub, and then it became basically like, okay, now we have new opportunities. Right. So, like the guy behind the bar who was really into craft beer, like got to open a beer garden.

SPEAKER_00 26:54

Right.

SPEAKER_01 26:54

In in again, a very inaccessible and pretentious way, but very interesting and and very uh kind of groundbreaking for the area and very challenging. Yeah, right. In in a way that didn't pan out financially again, but like was very exciting to be a part of, and it was that same way for bartenders and chefs and things like that, and it it just became it was it was quite a hub.

SPEAKER_00 27:19

Yeah. What exactly did you do at National Provisions?

SPEAKER_01 27:22

So I worked as the bar manager. So the when the dining room uh lunch dinner menu, when that portion of the property opened, I was the bar manager for that bar.

SPEAKER_00 27:35

Cool. I just remember walking in, I think I only went maybe twice, but I do remember walking in and being like, this is wildly different than anything that I've seen. And then it was, you know, Eppings is a long building, and it was like they really took advantage of the space in so many different ways, and like the lighting was great, and it was such a cool concept for sure.

SPEAKER_01 27:54

Yeah, yeah, but yeah, so that was yeah, again, that was my last job in Lexington, and it was one of these things where it's like, you know what? I don't know if we're really moving seafood towers at lunch the way that we thought we would. Yeah, and it kind of we had gotten to the point where I or I had gotten to the point that I wanted to be in a larger ecosystem when it came to food and beverage and the hospitality industry, and and so yeah, and that prompted the move to Chicago.

SPEAKER_00 28:22

That's right. Gotcha. Yeah,

Why Chicago’s Food Scene Hits Different

SPEAKER_00 28:24

gotcha. What was Chicago like? Chicago is great. I've only been once, like, and everybody talks. I know, terrible. I'm not okay with that. I would love it. Yeah, is the food scene really good in Chicago?

SPEAKER_01 28:36

It is the best, it is yeah, that's the easiest question we're gonna handle on this whole time.

SPEAKER_00 28:41

Just a fast yes, yes.

SPEAKER_01 28:43

Singularly, singularly the best. And and how? Why? Two things. Like, one, I I think you have such a reputation, and you have a baked-in culture, right? Like what we had at like Table 310 and National was uh was a small portion of the population who took these jobs seriously and and has careers and were passionate about them and and wanted to push things further than what they were familiar with, both personally and at large. Um, so you have a culture of that, and you have an audience for that. So, like in both ways, you have this very deep understanding that this is a place that is the the upper crust, the you know, it's a linea, it's um a vec, it's you know, all these kind of places that are just absolutely outstanding, and and then on down, right? That goes from Takeria's to Michelin star restaurants and back and forth. You have this culture of like, this is very important to us, and and we are going to support it, right? And so, like you have the staff who want to do that too, who understand that like it's important, it is uh admirable, it is a noteworthy pursuit, like all of those kinds of things, and you just you you feel good being a part of it, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 30:10

And probably, I mean, I'm sure that Chicago restaurants fail too, but like it's is it harder to fail there because there is that like ingrained sense of like everybody's yeah, I I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 30:23

I'm sure it's still as statistically horrendous to open a restaurant there as anywhere else, yeah. But like, you know, the highs are higher too, you know, like you get to be a part of something that's really big, you know, not to like yeah, like the TV show The Bear, like you know, yeah, it's it's its own thing, you know, there's things to be said, you know. Sure. Maybe we've gone on for a little longer than we need to be, maybe we're yelling a little too much, but like that kind of like pride in in what it is you're doing is very real. And I think that like what's always in like I like that show because you're just like picking out the places that you went, like, oh, there's giant, there's kasama, you know, like it becomes like a where's waldo, more so than like I've lost the plot completely. Like I have no idea what's actually happening. I'm just like peeking at like b-roll scenes to see if I can identify street corners, you know. Um, but yeah, I I think that is a huge part of it.

SPEAKER_00 31:22

So, what about Lexington's food? You you're back. What are your thoughts on Lexington's food scene

Lexington Food Picks And A Bar With Rules

SPEAKER_00 31:27

now? What can we do to improve? Where do you eat? I want to know where does Jenna eat? Where sure, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 31:31

We generally eat together.

SPEAKER_00 31:32

Okay, great. Which is helpful. Yeah, yeah. Very the whole married couple thing. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 31:36

Very helpful. Um, no, I I mean, I think as things have developed, things have improved, right? And you have more options, which I think is great. That to me is what has changed is that people, you know, have like they have pockets of town they go to, they have restaurants versus like, well, we had five, you know, we had five restaurants. No, it's like, oh, I like these places over here versus there. Um, you know, huge fan of pearls. I think pearls, everything they do.

SPEAKER_00 32:02

You seem like a pearls guy.

SPEAKER_01 32:04

I'll take that as a backhanded compliment.

SPEAKER_00 32:08

I love pearls too. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 32:09

No, I I think we're great atmosphere, great Chelsea do over there. Absolutely, it's absolutely fantastic. So I I think, you know, I I think they have I like going there because I see that same kind of thing where it's like the people who are here are excited to be here. Totally. They're excited to be working here, they're excited to be sharing what it is they're doing, whether that's like drinks or the food they've got on the menu. Like, you know, they're doing mobile pop-ups now as well, which means that like, you know, obviously we're excited to bring this to more people.

SPEAKER_00 32:38

Absolutely. I and they're playing around lately, you know, with bagels, and they're you know, and every single one of my vegan friends is like, you want to see me, I'll be at Pearl. So like they're catering to this vegan audience that's I growing certainly in Lexington too. So it's like, go on. I mean, I think it's fantastic.

SPEAKER_01 32:55

Also, no TVs. I'm gonna put that out there.

SPEAKER_00 32:58

Yeah, for sure. I and probably the best ranch in Lexington, like it's the best ranch sauce in Lexington. No TVs and ranch, it's the key to success.

SPEAKER_01 33:08

It's not gonna hurt, it's not gonna not be. These are strong Chicago tent poles, ranch served, no TVs.

SPEAKER_00 33:16

No, that's right.

SPEAKER_01 33:17

Um, yeah, I I think that would be a lesson we could learn.

SPEAKER_00 33:20

Yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 33:21

I would also say, like there, there are basically like three places when friends are in town that we take them to.

SPEAKER_00 33:28

Yeah, I want to hear this.

SPEAKER_01 33:28

Pearls, Stellas for lunch, sure on Jefferson. Yeah, it's very close to our apartment. It's also just great. Uh historic house.

SPEAKER_00 33:37

I like that. Yes, absolutely. Yeah, it's kind of as you said.

SPEAKER_01 33:40

Do we we'll get the report on that place? Is it it will be saved, right? Stellas will be. Of course.

SPEAKER_00 33:45

Um, I'll be chain myself to the wrecking ball if they ever stay. Okay, yes.

SPEAKER_01 33:49

And then thirdly, panda cuisines okay on Nicholasville.

SPEAKER_00 33:52

On Nicholasville, yeah, next to the Trader Joe's.

SPEAKER_01 33:54

That's right. Yeah, yeah, kind of across the parking lot.

SPEAKER_00 33:56

Yeah, dim sum. And yeah, they're doing great things too.

SPEAKER_01 33:59

Chinese Session style.

SPEAKER_00 34:01

It's so good. And you know, you want to know why they're so great. I used to work with the Confucius Institute of UK, and they would have um teachers from China, like from China, come in for like big events and things, and they would all request to go to paint, like that would be the one Chinese food restaurant they would take those from China to. And I was like, well, I don't think you can get more authentic than that.

SPEAKER_01 34:21

No, and that's great. Because I've heard similarly from folks who work in the horse industry, where they're like, if we are hosting folks from China, I'm taking them to paint cuisine.

SPEAKER_00 34:32

Yeah, fair.

SPEAKER_01 34:33

So amazing. That that would be those areas.

SPEAKER_00 34:38

Yeah, I get people who come into town and want to go to um uh bourbon and Toulouse. And these are people like from like even like near Louisiana, they're like, This is and I'm like, really? Like, and I love bourbon and Toulouse for sure, but it was like it's just wild, it's wild what outsiders like in Lexington. Like, that's always an interesting perspective, you know? Definitely, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 34:59

The Cajun food in central Kentucky. That's the draw.

SPEAKER_00 35:02

That's the draw.

SPEAKER_01 35:03

Uh yeah. I will I will say also ancillary to the big three for food, CCI would be oh, for number one for uh a bar.

SPEAKER_00 35:13

It couldn't it couldn't be, but I've only recently gotten into CCI, and the times I've been, it's either like older men watching whatever, yes, and then the other day I went there.

SPEAKER_01 35:23

It might be every single day, and you would think that that's the norm.

SPEAKER_00 35:26

But the other day I went and it was a uh a 21st birthday party for a bunch of girls.

SPEAKER_01 35:31

That's right.

SPEAKER_00 35:32

And they were up on the bar, like I walked in on the bar dancing and like grinding.

SPEAKER_01 35:37

That's incredible.

SPEAKER_00 35:37

And I was like, Where's the old men? They'd love this, they were like nowhere to be found. It was like one or the other, you know.

SPEAKER_01 35:43

Yeah, they've removed themselves, absolutely, they can't be privy to something like that, they don't have much left. No, they're like there's a thin veil between them and the other side. Uh yeah, I I like CCI. I told my friend recently that for better or for worse, I do not feel more like a Lexingtonian than when I am at CCI. Totally. And and I like that there are parameters. Uh-huh. There are like you have to mind your manners, like in a very like traditional southern way. Absolutely. And I think that's good for a bar. I think bars should have rules as like everyone's levels of respect.

SPEAKER_00 36:20

Oh, absolutely. And the respect I think is key. And you don't always find that everywhere, but it's very much like you have everyone, everyone is welcome. And if you're gonna get pissy about that, you're the only one that's not welcome. It's kind of how it feels. Like it's like head on out. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 36:33

So you can't get down that yeah, you don't have to stay here. You don't.

SPEAKER_00 36:37

So what's next for?

What’s Next And Closing Thanks

SPEAKER_00 36:39

I mean, are we even talking about next steps of anything? I mean, you're opening up the record shop, sure, yeah. And remind good reception records. Good reception records. I love that. Yeah, yeah. It's such a clever name, too. So that's a good one. You're opening this up. What's next on the horizon?

SPEAKER_01 36:54

Well, we're filling out that calendar for Bolt, right? We've got again, the majority of us are here in Lexington, but uh, we've got a couple folks in Nashville. And so our next happy hour will actually be at East Nashville Beer Works, uh, down there, Music City.

SPEAKER_00 37:10

I'm gonna have to travel to Nashville to go to see the okay, yeah, on my calendar. Who we good to know.

SPEAKER_01 37:16

Yeah, yeah. So that's exciting because yeah, you know, that program that we were talking about, this will be the first time that we're taking it out of state. On the road.

SPEAKER_00 37:22

I like it. Very cool. That's great. Okay, and then when you get back to Lexington, any other events and things this year? Still on in the midst?

SPEAKER_01 37:32

I was gonna say, the T TBD. Yeah, some things in the way. Yeah, TBD, we'll we'll fill it out, more happy hours, more um collaborations with organizations. Yeah, I love that international book project. We're having some conversation with them. Cool. Uh that you know, Civic Lex really put us on to them. And yeah, yeah, uh, some nice conversations there.

SPEAKER_00 37:54

Great, okay, perfect. Well, anything else before we wrap? Oh, this is so good, Doc Thomas.

SPEAKER_01 37:59

I was gonna say, yeah. Thank you, thank you for having me. Oh my gosh. Even though, like, I will candidly say that I asked to do this.

SPEAKER_00 38:06

I'm so glad you asked. Yeah, split into my DMs.

SPEAKER_01 38:09

I'm not gonna pretend like I didn't ask you to do this. I think what you guys do is really great, and it's uh a real honor.

SPEAKER_00 38:17

Uh well, we're only as great as our guests. And so, I mean, I it's it like truly, Ryan, it's incredible how much you've done and like how your fingers are in so many different things, and I think it's like really you're just like a natural born creative, and I think that that's inspiring and like needs more. Don't you go back to Chicago? You're staying here. For the time being. For the time being, yeah. Well, thanks again.