Hardin County Business Buzz: New Openings to Start 2026

Key Takeaways

• Club 1 Fitness is officially open in the former E-Town Swim and Fitness Center off Ring Road next to Kroger — rates around $19.95/month, indoor pool schedule still being finalized, ~1,500 members already signed up
• The Straight and Narrow ("the S&N") has opened downtown in the old Cobbler's Cafe building — an appointment-only, curated high-end cocktail bar from the Greenwell sisters, Olivia and Catherine (of Denizen)
• Capri, a new fine Italian dining spot in the former Namaste location next to La Quinta, has delayed its opening — seats ~116, most dishes under $20, run by the team behind Glasgow's award-winning Napoles
• Viral creator Luke Foods featured Little Charlie's Pizza in his best-of-Kentucky pizza series and gave it a 9.2, sending new customers their way — managed by Zeke Jarway

Summary

Nate Bryan opened 2026 with a Business Buzz built entirely around new openings. The headline is Club 1 Fitness, the long-awaited revival of the former E-Town Swim and Fitness Center off Ring Road, which is now open with roughly 1,500 members already on the books. Downtown keeps growing too, with the Greenwell sisters opening The Straight and Narrow, an appointment-only cocktail bar in the old Cobbler's Cafe space. On the dining side, Capri — a fine Italian restaurant in the former Namaste building — has pushed its opening back to get the remodel right, while viral food creator Luke Foods put Little Charlie's Pizza in the spotlight with a 9.2 review.

It was a focused, optimistic first episode of the year, with Nate, Jon O'Brien, and the hosts riffing on how much downtown Elizabethtown has grown and what is still coming.

Watch this segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8j0_u5O-QS0&t=1713s Full episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8j0_u5O-QS0

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Rachel handed it to Nate Bryan to open the year's business news, and Nate came with four openings to kick off 2026. "I think the biggest one is Club 1 Fitness," he said. "I know people are excited about it. It is open."

Club 1 Fitness: The Comeback Everyone Was Waiting For

The most anticipated opening of the bunch is Club 1 Fitness, which Nate described as the former E-Town Swim and Fitness Center off Ring Road, next to Kroger. The new owners posted before-and-after photos of the gym, and for now it keeps the familiar feel of the old place. "They basically said for now it's gonna have the E-Town Swim feel that we all know and love," Nate said. "And the classic — may even smell like the '80s."

Rates start around $19.95 a month, and Nate noted the team is still sorting out the indoor pool schedule — one of the few indoor pools in Hardin County, which means juggling open swims, senior swims, aerobics, and competitive swimming. He urged people to check the website and Facebook page for pool hours.

Nate also pointed to coverage and traction: "I think I read the News Enterprise had a good article... I think it said that they got 1,500 members already signed up, which is pretty cool." He vouched for the people behind it. "I've met Dustin. I've met Chad. They're great people. We've worked with them before. And I think it's gonna be a good thing. People just need to give it some time."

The Straight and Narrow: An Intimate Downtown Cocktail Bar

Continuing what Nate called the downtown trend, The Straight and Narrow has opened in the old Cobbler's Cafe building — "the one they just repainted." Owned by the Greenwell sisters, Olivia and Catherine, whom Nate said locals may know from Denizen, it is a high-end, curated cocktail bar that already has a nickname. "Hence the name Straight and Narrow — the S&N, as I like to call it already," he said.

It is appointment only. "It's not on like OpenTable or anything. It's appointment only," Nate explained. "Go to their Instagram page and there's a link there." Nate deferred to Jon O'Brien — the bourbon expert at the table — for the bar details. Jon described a small, focused operation: no draft beer and no sprawling beer list, but a curated cocktail menu running a couple of gin cocktails, a mezcal, a tequila, a vodka, and a rye whiskey cocktail, plus limited bottled beer, an NA option, and some bubbly wines. The space is tight — roughly 10 bar seats and up to 20 seats total. Jon already had his reservation: "I have my appointment for Thursday... I'll be at the bar sitting there Thursday at 7:30."

Nate framed the opening as part of a bigger downtown wave and said the sisters have more in the works. "It's just great to see downtown continue to bloom and grow," he said, adding that he had added their link to the Linktree at HardinLocal.com.

Capri: Fine Italian Dining, Coming Soon

Capri, the new fine Italian dining spot, was supposed to open this week but has been delayed. It is going into the former Namaste location next to La Quinta — and Nate had a parking tip: "You need to go into the La Quinta parking lot. If you try to drive around, you will fail. I have done so."

The remodeled building is sizable for the concept. "It seats over 100... I think it's 116," Nate said, with tables set for four to six. He shared the menu — which he also posted to the Hardin Local page — and called the pricing reasonable: most lunch or dinner plates under $20, with the veal signature among the priciest items. He noted they plan to be closed Mondays.

Nate said the operators are the same team behind Napoles in Glasgow, which he described as award-winning, and praised the renovation. "They've put in high-quality brick and stone. They've got better lighting. They've redone the bathrooms... they want it to be done right." That care, he said, is part of why the opening slipped: "That's why it's taking a little while." The hosts went on to lament how little true Italian dining the area has had over the years, making Capri's arrival a welcome one.

Luke Foods Shines a Spotlight on Little Charlie's Pizza

The last item was a bit of viral recognition for a local favorite. Nate explained that Luke Foods — a viral food creator based out of the Cave City / Horse Cave area — has been doing a best-of-Kentucky pizza series, and he featured Little Charlie's Pizza. "He gave Little Charlie's a 9.2," Nate said. "A lot of people I saw in the comments said they didn't know about Little Charlie's. They found it. So that's good for us."

Nate gave a shout to the manager and reminded viewers the menu goes well beyond pizza. "Zeke Jarway, if you didn't know, is the manager of Little Charlie's. He's the one that helped sponsor two of the local meals that we did. They're a fantastic place... They've got sandwiches that are really good, they could do pasta — it's not just single-slice New York mall airplane pizza. They do a lot of things and they do it very well."

That wrapped Nate's four big talking points for the week. "That's about all I got right now," he said. "I'll have a couple more things next week."