The 1300 block of West Main Street, near Shippingport Brewing and the new PlayPort at Waterfront Park, will get another boost when it becomes home to West End Gin by the end of 2026 into early 2027, according to co-founder Dr. Dawn Wade, who along with husband Stacey Wade also operates the prominent local marketing firm NIMUBS, which has won accolades from Ad Age, Adweek, Business First and Ernst and Young and boasts such heavyweight clients as KFC, Toyota, Humana, Papa Johns and Louisivlle rap superstar Jack Harlow.
The Wades bought the building at 1301 West Main last summer, which has been home to the corporate offices of Louisville institution Heine Brothers Coffee for about ten years, and is also the homebase of growing local beverage producer Elixir Kombucha. The massive structure which dominates the block, will eventually house not only the main distilling operations, but also “a consumer-facing retail area, a bar, two tasting rooms, as well as a ‘speakeasy’ VIP area and a kitchen,” said Dawn. “The bar will be free and open to reflect community, and with Waterfront Park, downtown is expanding. It’s a beacon of space which will lead to more foot traffic.
“The goal is to be producing everything in-house and employ West End residents,” she added.
Stacey said they are no strangers to the spirits business, with more than 20 years’ experience working with companies like Beam Suntory. But they launched West End Gin in August of 2024, and within the first year sold 1,000 cases. West End Gin is now available in nearly 200 stores across four states. In that short amount of time, the gin has been nationally and internationally recognized, winning a number of awards and making its mark in a bourbon-soaked region. Their existing facility is located on Eighth and York Street downtown.
But the Wades have more than expanding their empire on their minds. “This is just the beginning of our impact work,” Stacey said, noting that philanthropic public benefit has always been part of the plan. “The question is, can you develop product that can ultimately benefit the community. Our mission statement is ‘every pour means more’, so one dollar of every bottle sold goes back to the community.”
The chief beneficiary has been the West End School and Girls School, which received $10,000, and the plan is to have a celebration event each year to give out more donations.
On top of the distilling operations – or rather below – is a cavernous 42,000 square foot blank slate of a basement, which the Wades plan to use as a local small business incubator. “We want to create spaces to rent out,” Dawn said. “For a small business, they wouldn’t have to worry about overhead, safety, they’ll have an office and it’ll represent a path for growth.”
“We’ve learned that what success looks like often depends on who gives you an opportunity,” Stacey added. “Talented people just need a hand. Other people gave us the opportunity, and we want to do the same thing for others.”
Stacey said they are optimistic about the new location to the point of eventually moving the NIMBUS operations and its 30 employees to the West Main building from its current base downtown. Visit westendgin.com to learn more.
