The building at 2523 West Broadway has seen a soul food kitchen, a late-night lounge, and now it is about to become a playground for kids. Owner Stephon Harbin is transforming the corner of 26th and West Broadway into a family entertainment center with virtual reality games, esports stations, go-karts and inflatables, with a grand opening scheduled for Sunday that will include free food and giveaways for the community.
The site carries a heavy history. According to WLKY, the building previously housed H2O Lounge, which closed after a mass shooting outside the storefront on June 22, 2024, left 40-year-old Joseph Bowers dead and seven others wounded, according to WHAS11. That shooting prompted Louisville Metro Alcoholic Beverage Control and ownership to shut the club down before Harbin acquired the building.
Harbin, who is also a pastor, previously ran Sugar Ray's Barbecue during the day and operated a club at night in the same space, but he said that arrangement did not feel right and prompted him to reimagine what the building could be, per the station's report. After acquiring 2523 West Broadway, he opened Sugar Ray's Lounge with a 40-and-over age focus, pairing soul food with live jazz and blues as a way to restore safety and community trust to the corner. Harbin co-owns another Louisville venue, Double Deuce Sports Bar and Grill, which enforces an age requirement of 35 and older, the same account notes.
From Jazz Lounge to Family Arcade
Now Harbin is pushing the concept further, aiming to foster community and keep kids off the streets entirely. He told WLKY he wants to bring peace, love and an anti-violence atmosphere to the corner, and that he wants Sugar Ray's to be a safe place to relax for families — grandmothers coming for the greens, children coming for the fun.
Harbin said patronage for food and entertainment will keep money circulating in the neighborhood and support growth, and he hopes the attractions will give kids a safe and enjoyable alternative to being on the streets. If children lack fun and safe activities, he said, they may turn to illicit activities instead. He plans to offer mentorship opportunities at Sugar Ray's in collaboration with community groups, with mentors on-site to support children who need help, because investing in children and meeting them where they are matters, per the report.
Those plans would dovetail with existing city infrastructure. Louisville Metro's Office of Violence Prevention manages the Reimagine Network, a program connecting residents and community organizations with volunteer opportunities in youth mentorship and violence prevention. The office was established in 2013 using a public health approach to curb neighborhood violence, according to Louisville Metro Government.
Big Plans for the Corner
Harbin hopes to eventually expand Sugar Ray's across the entire corner of 26th and Broadway, adding laser tag, a putt-putt course, and a skating rink down the line. West Louisville residents previously had to travel to south or east Louisville for entertainment centers like this, WLKY reports, which is part of why Harbin sees the project as a major gap-filler for the neighborhood.
The timing lines up with a wave of other West Louisville investment. Community development organization OneWest has announced West Louisville redevelopment plans that include a sports and entertainment complex, according to WHAS11.
Public money is moving too. The Kentucky-established West End Opportunity Partnership, created by state statute in 2021, distributes grants and loans to local businesses and community organizations across nine West Louisville neighborhoods — including Russell, Parkland, Shawnee, and Portland — to drive economic revitalization. Louisville Metro Government is also executing the federal RAISE Broadway initiative to redesign West Broadway into a multimodal complete street with dedicated bus lanes and improved pedestrian safety infrastructure.
A Citywide Backdrop of Falling Violence
Harbin's anti-violence framing arrives alongside citywide numbers moving in the same direction. Louisville Metro Government reported a 22% drop in homicides and a 28% decline in non-fatal shootings in 2025 under its Safe Louisville public safety strategy, with community violence intervention sites across the city averaging a 33% reduction in gun violence during that same year.
The contrast between neighborhood-scale projects like Sugar Ray's and larger commercial development elsewhere in the city is notable. A $250 million downtown sports and entertainment district is planned, featuring a 10-story hotel, residential units, retail, and restaurant space, per MuniCap.
For now, the focus on West Broadway is Sunday's grand opening, with free food and community giveaways marking the arcade's debut at a corner that has carried both tragedy and reinvention in the span of just over two years.
