A new bourbon bar is set to open in Newport at 844 York Street — the former home of The Boardroom, which abruptly announced its closure last November.
Rickhouse at the Derby is the brainchild of Dallas Seagraves, who is no stranger to the hospitality industry. As the owner of Blaze Cigar Lounge and Bar at 515 Monmouth St. in Newport, Seagraves is familiar with the city’s nightlife scene.
With the prominence of the B-Line – Northern Kentucky’s self-guided bourbon tour – Seagraves felt like it was the right time for his take on a bourbon bar. Its name, Rickhouse at the Derby, pays homage to a rickhouse — a warehouse used to store barrels of aging whiskey.
“The thing needs to be bourbon and it seems to be a right fit for what’s going on in the area,” Seagraves said. “I have access to a lot of bourbon – I have access to a lot of private barrels so all that makes a lot of sense when opening a place like this.”
Seagraves told LINK nky that the river city made sense for his next venture due to the prevalence of large-scale mixed-use development projects such as Ovation and Newport on the Levee, in addition to the city’s eclectic mix of businesses that comprise its small business sector. He cited the city’s walkability and history as two reasons why he chose Newport as the location of his new business.
“A lot of people that move down here want to be able to walk in the area to different things,” he said. “It’ll always be a good location, and we could take a location that has history and mix it with stuff that’s already going on here – it’s going to be a win-win.”
Rickhouse at the Derby markets itself as a casual drinkery offering customers access to an extensive bourbon collection, private barrel picks, beer and cocktails. The bar will serve food and desserts from The Purple Poulet located next door.
844 York Street is a historic street corner in Newport. The building that will house Rickhouse at the Derby was constructed in 1913. John Hayden, whose father has owned the building since the 1960s, said he is excited to see how Seagraves will refresh the space.
“He has a great concept,” Hayden said. “Dallas runs a really nice cigar bar, has a fantastic bourbon selection at Blaze and he wanted to expound on that. He’s really leaning into the bourbon history.”
Before The Purple Poulet, the neighboring building was home to the Green Derby – a historic bar and restaurant that first opened in 1947. It closed permanently in 2018. The Green Derby was a staple of the city’s “Sin City” era when underground gambling and speakeasies were commonplace.
As a longtime Newport resident, Hayden said he supports Seagraves’ vision for the space.
“He’s got a vision beyond just having a nice business,” Hayden said. “He wants to turn the building around.”
Seagraves said he wants his new bar to honor the history of the shuttered restaurant and the city as a whole. Looking forward, Seagraves is targeting March 1 as the bar’s opening date, pending the approval of its liquor license.
“I think everything would be done within weeks, but I definitely target a March 1 open date as soon as the liquor license is finished,” Seagraves said.
