Hardin County Business Buzz: Boot Barn & Nothing Bundt Cakes

Key Takeaways

• Boot Barn is officially coming — signs up, permits in the window — and it's Hardin County's first-ever Boot Barn, a national brand with a much bigger selection
• Nothing Bundt Cakes has confirmed its location in the Starlight Center, the former Cakery / Homemade Pie & Ice Cream Kitchen space; no opening date yet
• Shogun Elizabethtown is closed for good, despite an active Facebook page — the building has been for sale
• Local airbrush artist Eddie Milburn is teaming up with the Laker location on Dixie, and EP Salon Suites is a proposed build near the college (planned fall 2026)
• Riders Market has reopened in Upton, restoring a 1936-rooted hometown grocery, and Deep Discount Furniture has rebranded yet again

Summary

Nate Bryan had a full slate of new-business news this week, anchored by two long-rumored arrivals now made official. Boot Barn is confirmed — the signs are up and the permits are posted at the former Gabe's space — and Nate stressed it's a genuine first for the county, not a return of any previous boot shop. Nothing Bundt Cakes, which first broke on the show, now has a confirmed Starlight Center address near Olive Garden.

The rest of the rundown spanned a confirmed closing (Shogun is done, no matter what its Facebook says), a local-artist collaboration (Eddie Milburn's airbrush work heading to the Laker on Dixie), a proposed salon-suite development (EP Salon Suites on Leitchfield Road), and a feel-good comeback in Upton, where Riders Market has reopened to give a small community back its grocery store. Nate closed with the running saga of the furniture store behind Best Buy, now operating as Deep Discount Furniture.

Watch this segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNFyW9oSTaU Full episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNFyW9oSTaU

Full Article

After Rachel teased him about a slow news week, Nate Bryan delivered anything but. "Even though we — I think we broke it here on Hardin Local when we learned Boot Barn was coming. Now it's official, because they put up a sign, and people love signs," he said.

Boot Barn is confirmed — and it's a first

The signs are up and the permits are in the window at the former Gabe's location in the Starlight Center area, and Nate said you can already apply for jobs there. He spent a moment clearing up a debate he'd been having with viewers: Hardin County has never actually had a Boot Barn. "If you're thinking about where Duster's at, that was Boot Country II, not Boot Barn," he said, and the Cecilia store some folks remembered was Shoe Barn. "We have places that sell boots, we have places that sell shoes, but we've never had Boot Barn. So this is our first." As a national brand, he added, it'll carry "a lot bigger selection" than anything local. (Per Hardin Local's records, the grand opening is slated for March 2026.)

Nothing Bundt Cakes finds its home

"Sticking with Starlight, it seems to be the hot area," Nate said. Nothing Bundt Cakes, which he noted was first announced on the show, now has a confirmed location: in the Starlight Center between Pizza Hut and Clarkson Eyewear, next to Olive Garden — the former Cakery and Homemade Pie & Ice Cream Kitchen space. No opening date is set for either Boot Barn or Nothing Bundt Cakes yet. "I know people love Nothing Bundt Cakes," Nate said. "I think it's gonna be great."

Shogun is closed — for real this time

Nate put one persistent question to rest. "Their Shogun Elizabethtown Facebook is still active and going, and people keep complaining," he said. "But yes, it is closed. The building has been for sale as well. So Shogun — do not go out there. They are closed, no matter what their Facebook says."

Eddie Milburn teams up with the Laker again

"The crazy thing — Eddie Milburn, a friend of the show, we've had him on here. His art is fantastic," Nate said. Eddie is the airbrush artist behind the ship painting at the original Laker Drive-In in Stevensburg, and he has new artwork going into the Laker location on Dixie. "I like it when local businesses team up with local artists," Nate said. "You get artwork for your building, and in turn he gets to showcase his art."

EP Salon Suites proposed near the college

On an open lot near the railroad tracks by Five Star and the college — off Leitchfield Road — a proposed development called EP Salon Suites would offer "a modern and private salon suite concept built for independent beauty professionals," covering hair, nails, skin, lashes, massage, tattoo, and more, on a monthly-fee, no-commission model. The rendering also showed a possible coffee shop and an available unit. Planned opening is fall 2026, subject to final approvals — though, as Rachel cautioned from her building experience, set dates often slip "two to four months."

Riders Market returns to Upton

"As the guy with the gray hair on the show," Nate said, he had a comeback story he loved: Riders Market is back in Upton. The name is a local legend that "goes all the way back to 1936," and the store has just reopened after the previous grocery fell through. He credited the group behind the revival — Bill McKinley, Vera Lively, Amanda Whalen, Stuart Sullivan, and Jimmy McKinley — and pointed to a News-Enterprise story by Greg Thompson. "These small communities like me growing up need those things," Nate said, noting that residents had otherwise faced a 20-to-30-mile drive into town. "The name is synonymous with respect, and it's great to see them back."

One more name change

Finally, Nate closed with the furniture store behind Best Buy: "Deep Discount Furniture is now the sign." He traced its winding history through Bed Bath & Beyond, Overstock, and a name he admitted fooled him — "Going Out of Business Furniture" was the actual registered business name, not just a sign. "We'll see how long this one lasts," he said, promising more updates — including the new coin laundry near Big Lots — next week.