Russ and Jackie Slone’s dream of owning a coffee shop has been 30 years in the making. They approached officials in the City of Covington and decided to start to build equity before opening their own business. It wasn't a quick process; they purchased a fixer-upper and raised their two daughters.
Eight years ago, the Slones purchased the building at 701 Greenup Street and began making it their home and their dream.
Left Bank Coffeehouse opened its doors May 28, and the Slone’s two daughters, Katie Bialczak and Maggie Soard—both former Starbucks baristas—help them run the place.
“We wanted to open a coffeehouse because we saw that at the time, there weren’t that many around Cincinnati, but we knew they were popular,” Russ says.
“Left Bank” refers to the proximity of the coffee shop to the Ohio and Licking rivers, but that's not all. The Slones are self-described Francophiles, so the name also refers to La Rive Gauce, the southern bank of the Seine River in Paris. Left Bank is decorated with French-inspired décor reminiscent of a Parisian street café.
Left Bank brews up traditional espresso drinks and blended beverages. There’s also a small food menu, featuring oatmeal, yogurt, two croissants and scones, plus pastries from
Savor and soups from
Myra’s in Clifton.
The Slone’s are excited to make people happy, and hope that Left Bank will be a destination stop for people who live and work in Covington.
By Caitlin Koenig
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