Covington City Commissioner James Toebbe, a native of Latonia, said he walked by 4302 Decoursey Ave. every day growing up.
Over the years, Toebbe noticed that the building’s windows were blacked out, the front door was locked, or it was just altogether vacant.
Today, the building is home to a thriving family business — Latonia Bodega. Its founders Sergio and Alyssa Adkins have deep connections to Covington. Gutierrez owns and operates Gutierrez Deli and OLLA Taqueria in Covington.
On Thursday, January 30, the City of Covington held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the opening of Latonia Bodega. Toebbe noted that the bodega has already impacted the Latonia neighborhood since opening.
“One of the great things about Covington, one of the reasons I live here, one of the reasons so many people visit in Covington, so many people invest in Covington, is the diversity within our residents, as well as the diversity within our business owners,” Toebbe said. “The Latonia community has fully embraced this business.”
Bodegas are small corner stores that sell food, such as milk, eggs, and cheese, as well as snacks like chips and sodas. They are typically found in urban areas. Large, dense cities like New York City are famous for their bodegas.
Gutierrez and Adkins wanted to bring that same concept to Covington. The city’s historic buildings offer plenty of opportunities to open a corner store in walkable neighborhoods.
In addition to the traditional corner store offerings, Latonia Bodega features a deli that serves made-to-order sandwiches. Patrons can purchase Latin sodas like Jarritos and ‘Mexican Coca-Cola’ with cane sugar.
“One thing that really stood out to me is, not only are the residents raving on the sandwiches, the choice of selections, the Mexican Cokes – because everybody loves real sugar, not corn syrup – but everybody’s complimented on how great the owners and the employees are, and that says a lot,” Toebbe said.
So far, Latonia Bodega has received a wave of community support—both online and in person. Adkins mentioned that while current economic conditions in the United States are challenging, the community’s support has helped their family’s businesses thrive.
“Opening a business is really hard, and right now, with the way the economy is going, there’s a lot of businesses going out of business right now,” Adkins said. “We feel extremely grateful to still have our restaurant and our deli, and we feel very grateful to be in the position to be able to give more to the community rather than take away.”
Latonia Bodega is open Tuesday through Sunday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. while being closed on Mondays. The deli is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
