Kevin Feldman: An Accidental Entrepreneur

Bockfest, weekly Bengals celebrations and a well-patronized drinking establishment... what’s next for Kevin Feldman? Well, it's complicated.

While planning my rendezvous with Kevin Feldman, I am hell-bent on getting him to meet me at one of the many new eateries in Northern Kentucky. Comeuppance, I think, for me only seeing him previously in Cincinnati establishments, including his own. I suggest we visit Cock & Bull, a bustling pub featuring English fare, 60 craft beers & frequent specials, and he quickly kills that idea. Frida, a whimsical setting with Frida Kahlo–inspired accents set for Mexican eats and mezcal cocktails? Negative. We settle on one of Covington's newest eateries, Inspirado, an unfussy place to eat showcasing eclectic, area-sourced New American cuisine and works by local artists. “How have you been?” I ask him after we meet and hug on Covington's Madison Avenue, hoping to get a dish of gossip before we head in to be seated.

“Life,” he retorts simply. And with that, we head in. Some say Kevin Feldman is quite laid-back. Some would call Kevin gregarious and the life of the party. In a one-on-one setting, he’s simply Feldman, as his neighborhood bar patrons call him. We are seated next to the front window of Inpirado facing Madison Avenue, where three pair of couples sat together finishing their meal. “Pinot Gris.” I tell Chad, our waiter, when he asks for our desired drinks. “An Old Fashioned,” Kevin says. But in characteristic fashion, he changes his mind 30 seconds after the waiter disappears to the back. “I really wanted a Sidecar. People have been mentioning Sidecars to me and I wanted to try it here.” Looking around the small restaurant a few moments in vein, Kevin throws his hands up and says, “Oh well. I'll get it for my next drink.” Kevin is a serial entrepreneur and a homeowner in Covington, KY, where he shares a place with his dog, Skelton. But he didn't originally set out to be an entrepreneur. He told of how he became owner of the friendly neighborhood bar, Milton's, in Cincinnati's neighborhood of Mt. Auburn. “I walked in one day, saw it was for sale and bought the place.” . After a lengthy career in travel management for an agency based out of Philadelphia, Kevin was laid off during the dot com boom and like a Phoenix rising, Feldman thought that, with a foray into the bar business, his life may be resurrected.

And in some way, it was.

“I was meeting someone there after an afternoon at Kings Island Amusement Park.” Feldman said of the first time he walked into Milton's. “A friend of mine suggested that we meet at this cute little bar in Mt. Auburn.” And being gay wasn't a guarantee that Feldman wanted to own and operate a gay bar. “I can’t exist only in the gay world. And I wanted my bar to be the same way. Back in the day, people would only make the circuit around town only in the gay world. I couldn’t do it.” Feldman graduated from Newport Central Catholic High School, then called Newport Catholic High School in the early 80’s. He went on to attend college in Northern Kentucky, Indiana and the United Kingdom and says that he did not come out of the closet until his 50th birthday just a few years ago. “My family thought it would be a good idea to celebrate my 50 years of life with a birthday roast,” he rolled his eyes, “and my sister said to my sister-in-law. ‘Honey, you may want to leave the kids at home. I don’t think that they should come to this one.’” He jokes, of course. Feldman never really had a big coming out to his family. “There was no big sparklers and no big hats or a parade,” he remembers. “Here you go gentleman,” Chad comes back with our drinks. “Can I start you guys off with an appetizer?” After taking a quick glance one more time over the menu, Feldman decided to tickle his taste buds with the Cuban salad and I went with the beet salad.

“The hold in Newport when I was a teenager,” Feldman went on to tell of his journey traversing the Cincinnati gay world of the 80’s and the lack of gay establishments in Newport, “was always the tatty bars and the sleaze and the gambling and the 60’s casino. All of the strip clubs and titty bars had just let go. When I was in high school they had just closed down Cinema X on Monmouth Street.” “Cinema X?” My eyes light up. “Like a porn house?” “Yeah,” Feldman chuckles. “It was a porn house. There were first run X-rated films and, oh my god, you should have seen the ads they ran in the newspaper.” We noticed that the conservative looking couples were glancing over at our table. “But fortunately,” Feldman said, changing the subject quickly. “I did not have that much trouble being a business owner because I was gay. It was more because I was a first time business owner and I was purchasing a business in OTR."

And Feldman seemed to have made the right choice in investing in OTR. Over-the-Rhine, which was the center of the Cincinnati Riots of 2001, has been transformed with new residents, a multitude of new eateries and drinkeries which have grabbed the area’s crime problem by the balls and allowed an influx of big spenders to come and frequent the area. And Kevin has been there, pushing for the area’s progress, all along the way. “No one has a bigger mouth than I do.” he says. “No one has been a bigger booster for progressive politicians, the streetcar, the right issues, It's like the Times Square of Cincinnati. The connections made. The people that feel comfortable and visit the bar are people that we want to do good in the neighborhood. Its organic, very grassroots.” So what's in store for Feldman? “It's time to wind down.” Feldman sighs. “It's time to find a partner and it's time to live off some investments and find a warmer climate to live.” “What would you tell your 20-year old self?” I ask as Chad brings out our entrees. “Screw religion. Don't worry about what anyone else thinks about you, drop a few pounds and live your

F@!#&ing life!”