732 Greenup St., the site of a shuttered Covington bar, now has a new business operating on the premises.
Located at the corner of Greenup and E. 8th across from the Lincoln and Grant Scholar House, Ye’Sab is the culmination of the Basey family’s work to bring a community event center back to Covington’s Eastside neighborhood.
Formerly the home of 30 Something Nite Club, and before that, 732 Club, Ye’Sab was founded by Mike and Rosalind Basey. On Friday, the City of Covington hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the opening of the Basey family’s newest business venture.
“This looks like a different building altogether,” Rosalind said.
Covington Vice Mayor Ron Washington thanked the Basey’s for their community service and employing Black youth.
“The Basey family has been here doing community service, being entrepreneurs, being business owners in our community for a very, very long time,” Washington said.
Inside the venue is a bar, dance room, white tablecloth seating and a back patio with shaded seating. A picture featuring prolific Black recording artists such as Michael Jackson, Marvin Gaye, Whitney Houston and Gerald Lavert is prominently displayed on the dining room wall.
One of the most prominent features of Ye’Sab’s façade is their black sign with neon red lettering spelling out the Ye’Sab name. The name Ye’Sab is the name Basey spelled backward. From the street view, the sign’s lettering pops and can be seen from far away.
“I was driving up Scott Street the other day and I could see this in the daytime all the way down there,” Covington Economic Development Department Assistant Director Sarah Allan said.
Ye’Sab is the first business that received funding from the Covington Economic Development Department’s Historic Electric Sign incentive. Last November, the City awarded Ye’Sab with $7,500 to restore the sign. The Baseys collaborated with the American Sign Museum in Cincinnati on its design. In total, the project cost $10,200, according to a press release.
“It’s an honor to have this be our first sign,” Washington said.
Up to 75% percent of a sign’s total restoration cost is funded by the city, while the building or business owner funds 25%. Mounting hardware, sign installation, and sign refurbishment, including wiring and neon or related lighting fixtures, are the actions that qualify for the forgivable loan.