LOUISVILLE, Ky. — For years, LaToya Cook-Bradley and her husband, Marty Bradley, have made a living as event planners and caterers, but like many others in their field, the coronavirus took a toll on their business.
"Once we opened back up, we had our first wedding in July," Cook-Bradley said. "It was 80 people, nowhere close to our 250 that we normally service."
With the pandemic forcing many of their clients to either postpone their plans or severely limit the number of people allowed to attend, Cook-Bradley needed to figure something out.
"I call it a pivot," she said. "We pivoted out of necessity, true, but I mean when you have something you enjoy, you make it work for you. So we're making it work."
They already had a space for Flavorfull Catering, Events and More, so they decided to re-purpose it and set up a coffee shop inside, which they named Brew and Sip.
"My past had been with actually supplying coffee before I moved to Louisville," Cook-Bradley said.
"I just decided to support my wife so I'm along for the ride. I don't even know how these machines work," Bradley said. "We did this out of a necessity. I am blessed to have a creative wife, so when she suggested it, we collaborated, came together and figured it out."
The opening of Brew and Sip as scheduled to coincide with 502 Black Eats Week, which was created by Tiandra Robinson this year after seeing the success of 502 Black Business Week, which has been held in June to celebrate Juneteenth.
Bradley and Cook-Bradley said they have noticed the increased interest in supporting Black-owned businesses in the wake of recent protests for racial justice and equality.
They said the added attention is great at getting people through their doors for the first time and they hope their coffee and other products will keep customers coming back.
Brew & Sip Coffee Bar is located at 3802 Shepherdsville Road.
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