By Vicki Prichard
NKyTribune reporter
Long before the culinary venues flanked the streets of MainStrasse, and the pulse of the city started pounding, Margo Grubbs was investing in Covington.
While MainStrasse continues to develop with ever increasing energy, there’s some creative muscle-flexing on Pike Street too; evidence that the city is soundly moving towards establishing multiple tantalizing destination zones.
“I see Pike Street, which is fondly referred to as part of the West side of Covington, finally making a much needed moveforward,” says Grubbs. “I always said Pike Street was treated as the ‘red-headed stepchild of Covington.'”
In 1982, Grubbs bought the 404 Pike Street building, long known as the 404 Bar. Back then, the bars and taverns were known by their street address — Chez Nora was the 510 Bar, Riverside Korean Restaurant was known as the 514 Building.
“The 404 was not as beautiful as it is now, as the kitchen was actually in the front of the building with all windows boarded up and I found it to be quite dingy,” says Grubbs. “But we did have jazz for a very brief time in 1983 and Dee Felice, Carmen DeLeon, Jimmy McGary and Ed Moss, some of Cincinnati’s jazz greats played there.”
Grubbs says the partners she had originally gone into business with bailed quickly, but she stayed on and leased the property for a number of years.
Margo & Jimmy’s was her next venture into the restaurant and bar business.
“The building had been vacated and I always said, “I am going to have a restaurant there someday,”” says Grubbs.
True to her word, she partnered with Jimmy Rosati, former owner of the Coach and Four and The Boot, and they created a lovely dining venue.
But in 2001, just as much of the world changed, so too did Margo & Jimmy’s.
“Unfortunately, 9/11 hit and we lost so much business we had to close,” says Grubbs. “Once again I leased it for 14 years.”
Like a phoenix that will continue to rise, 404 is back in business.
“Third time’s the charm,” says Grubbs, who reopened as the 404 to feature live music and, particularly, Saturday night Jazz. “We have hosted some of the best jazz musicians in the Greater Cincinnati area once again.”
The 404 is currently open Friday and Saturday evenings, serving “Bar Bites” and, as Grubbs says, “the best $4 hamburger in town,” along with hand cut Truffle Parmesan Fries, Sweet Potato Fries, Deep Fried Hot Dogs, Chicken Fingers, Cole Slaw and Toasted Pound Cake featuring Grubbs’s “mamaws” bourbon hard sauce.
Grubbs has also made 327-329 Pike Street home to her law office, Grubbs Law, PLLC, where she did a complete historic rehabilitation using the Historical Tax Credit.
“The Historical Tax Credit permits the rehabilitation and restoration of our wonderful Covington buildings and allows for partnering with C Corporation which can take off the tax credit in one year,” says Grubbs.
Grubbs says it’s a wonderful developer’s tool which aids not only the individual developers but the business partners as well in an effort to rejuvenate the city’s urban centers.
She says it’s taken many years for the city administration to see the necessity of improving the Pike Street entryway into the city.
“With the Westside Coalitions efforts, the Center for Greater Neighborhood and the Orchard Park Community Development, we are finally able to show the vibrancy that I always thought was there,” says Grubbs.
“I live on Pike Street above my law office and I love the COV.”
The 404 was a nice place back in the 60’s. A cousin, Dan Neville had his local wedding reception there after marrying a girl from Tampa. At the time Dan was playing AAA ball for the Reds and had grown up on Willard. I think the 404 Club was run by a lady named Gracie.
My father, Claude, had Klaene’s Cafe at 1603 Holman.
Covington used to have many good neighborhood cafes.