Cold Stone Creamery Coming to Hardin County for First Time

Key Takeaways

• Cold Stone Creamery is replacing the old Baskin-Robbins on East Dixie near Baptist Health Hardin — the first Cold Stone in Hardin County, hoping to open before July 4th.
• Bluegrass Meats is moving from East Dixie to the old Dairy Queen location downtown, bringing drive-thru barbecue back to downtown Elizabethtown.
• Wasabi is expanding from Social Food Hall to Louisville — a hometown success story following Vibe, Poppy's Tacos, and Juanito's.
• Bargain Brothers is stopping pallet sales due to the economy, though the retail store remains fully open.
• Tolle Totum, a certified naturopathic practitioner, is relocating from Bardstown to 132 W Dixie Ave, Suite 100 downtown.

Summary

Nate Bryan brought five business stories to S2026E15 that paint a picture of a Hardin County economy in motion. The headline is Cold Stone Creamery moving into the old Baskin-Robbins spot on East Dixie — the first Cold Stone location the county has ever had, with a target opening before July 4th. Add Bluegrass Meats heading downtown, Wasabi expanding to Louisville, and a new naturopathic practice arriving from Bardstown, and it's a week full of movement.

Not all the news was expansion. Bargain Brothers pulling back on pallet sales due to the economy is a real-world signal worth paying attention to. But the broader picture Nate painted — especially with his downtown Elizabethtown rundown — is one of a community that keeps adding more reasons to show up.

Kevin Parrett also chimed in with a reminder that D's Butts BBQ is still serving lunch on the ECTC campus, 10 to 2, with $5 pulled pork sandwiches.

Full Article

Nate Bryan's Business Buzz on this week's Hardin Local Weekly opened with a story he helped break earlier in the week — and one that ice cream fans across Hardin County have been buzzing about.

Cold Stone Creamery is officially coming to Hardin County for the first time.

The national franchise known for its made-to-order ice cream mixed on a frozen granite stone is already moving into the old Baskin-Robbins location on East Dixie, across from Baptist Health Hardin at Covers Manor, in the corner unit next to Green Bamboo. "Cold Stone is already moved in and started replacing Baskin-Robbins," Nate reported. "They hope to be open before July 4th, which I think would be great."

Nate was quick to clear up a common misconception. "People keep on confusing it with something that happened at the pavilion across from Cool Springs. We did not have a Cold Stone. We will now." Meanwhile, the new Baskin-Robbins build across from the new Kroger is already underway — meaning East Dixie isn't losing ice cream, it's just swapping brands at that particular spot.

Phil Taul, hosting this week, couldn't resist adding that he drove to Louisville over the weekend specifically to get Cold Stone. "It was delicious," he confirmed. Nate's response: "You're closer than the rest of us."

From ice cream, Nate moved to barbecue. Bluegrass Meats, owned by Tommy Barney, is relocating from East Dixie to the old Dairy Queen location in downtown Elizabethtown. "These are the first people to do drive-thru barbecue," Nate noted, adding that the new location should give them more space, more parking, and he believes they'll keep the drive-thru option as well. They're targeting this summer for the move.

Nate acknowledged it's been a while since downtown had a barbecue spot. "Sunny Boys was downtown, was down on the square. But it's been a while since we had barbecue downtown." For a self-described huge barbecue fan — Nate ranks the Polite Pig at Disney Springs as his all-time favorite meal — having a barbecue option back in the heart of Elizabethtown is a welcome development.

On the restaurant expansion front, Wasabi is taking its popular hibachi and sushi concept from Social Food Hall to Louisville. Nate framed it as part of a growing pattern. "We've seen Vibe grow. We've seen Poppy's Tacos grow. We've seen Juanito's grow. So it's been nice to see something small and expand their footprint." Phil, who recently had Wasabi on both Easter and Christmas, added: "People love Wasabi — Louisville is going to find out what we already know."

The fourth story struck a different tone. Bargain Brothers, run by the Ruiz family, is stopping pallet sales due to the economy. Pallet liquidation — buying discounted bulk merchandise from major retailers and reselling it — has been a growing trend in recent years, and when a business built on that model says the numbers aren't working, it's worth paying attention to. Nate was careful to note that the retail side of Bargain Brothers is still fully open. "The retail's not changing. You can find some neat buys." It's just the pallet model specifically that's being dropped.

The final business item brought Nate to a name that gave the hosts some trouble on air. Tolle Totum — which Phil, Scott, and Nate spent a solid minute spelling out letter by letter for the transcript — is a certified naturopathic practitioner and auricular therapist relocating from Bardstown to 132 West Dixie Avenue, Suite 100 in downtown Elizabethtown. The practice is run by Kristen, who offers holistic therapeutic services focused on restoring balance through natural, non-invasive methods. They're located upstairs above Brittany Payne Chair Studio, with parking and entrance around back.

That last story gave Nate the opening for what turned into one of the best moments of the segment — a genuine, enthusiastic rundown of everything happening downtown. "Downtown is thriving," Nate said. "You had Ever After that just opened. The record store that's been banging down there. You've got barbecue going down there. You've got a German restaurant going down there. We've got Volstead out of Bardstown that's coming. Riders has got stuff going on. You've got Nicely's. There's all sorts of stuff happening downtown."

His advice to anyone who hasn't been down there in a while: "If you haven't been downtown in years, you need to get down there and see the changes."

Special guest Kevin Parrett jumped in at the end with a reminder that D's Butts BBQ, which left its East Dixie location (now ABS Seafood), is still operating on the ECTC campus. "They're only open from 10 to 2 for lunch," Kevin said. "I just ate a sandwich they had yesterday. A big pulled pork sandwich, only $5. You can't beat that." The lunch counter is in the student center building and is open to the public, not just faculty and students.

Nate closed with a preview of more signage news coming next week and a broader message about Hardin County's business climate: "It's not slowing down. There's a lot more on the way."