Couple injects love into Portland with a community center and BBQ

Bailey Loosemore | Courier Journal

Show Caption Hide Caption West End Louisville BBQ restaurant fuels Portland nonprofit West End nonprofit flew under the radar until the Arvins got attention by opening Porkland BBQ in the former St. Cecilia Church campus in Louisville.

When Shawn and Inga Arvin began looking for a home in Louisville’s Portland neighborhood, they never could have guessed that within a short three years, they’d be the founders of a new community center, a small business incubator and one of the area’s only sit-down restaurants.

But that’s the deal that came with the home the couple fell in love with on Alford Avenue in 2015.

If they wanted to fix up the small abandoned house, its then-owner said, they’d have to buy the former Boys & Girls Club that sat adjacent to it.

The Arvins took on the challenge, and today they employ 23 of the neighborhood’s residents at Love City, a nonprofit that operates out of the two-story building at 344. N. 26th St.

The nonprofit has flown mostly under the radar over the past couple years. But in March, the Arvins attracted media attention by opening Porkland BBQ within the former St. Cecilia Church campus on 25th Street.

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And this month, they received more attention when they opened an entrepreneurship incubator at the community center with a $25,000 grant from Google Fiber.

The Arvins' goal was never to make a name for themselves. But as they spread the word about their nonprofit, they hope to bring attention to a community that's been plagued by poverty in recent years, that could use a leg up from people living within it.

"We felt a pull toward the neighborhood, I can't explain exactly why," said Inga Arvin, an employee in Humana's pharmacy department. "We fell in love with the neighborhood and the people. The goal was initially to move to the neighborhood and be a good neighbor. But when the house came with the community center, we were like, 'Guess we're going to do more.'"

Neither of the Arvins had worked in the nonprofit sector before they started Love City. But they're both business savvy, having met in the executive MBA program at Bellarmine University. And they've used their business skills to gradually fund renovations at the community center.

Within the past year alone, the Arvins have renovated the center's gym, built five classrooms for tutoring and art programs, launched the entrepreneur incubator and opened Porkland BBQ, led by chef Travis Grimes.

They plan to open an affordably priced preschool in July, and by the end of the year, they hope to install a walk-up health clinic — ideas suggested to them by friends in the community.

"We go out and listen to our neighbors," said Shawn Arvin, who quit his 20-year career in supply chain logistics to work on Love City full time. "They tell us what they need. It's not me making a decision for them. They're telling me. I'm just a dude who they believe in and trust."

For the most part, Love City has operated off private donations, fundraisers and personal investments from the founding couple. But the Arvins hope to sustain the nonprofit through the barbecue restaurant, which will soon operate six days each week.

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Porkland is located within the old bingo hall on the St. Cecilia campus, which Love City officially purchased in August.

The Arvins hadn't planned to add more property to their already large footprint, but when the Archdiocese of Louisville approached them about buying the church, they saw potential in its four buildings.

Now, employees and volunteers serve smoked bologna sandwiches, street-style corn on the cob, pulled pork and other Southern favorites out of the colorful kitchen at 2519 St. Cecilia St.

A typical meal there runs less than $10. But for those who can't afford the dishes, the Arvins have invited residents to volunteer in exchange for their food — similar to the operation at The Table, a restaurant located about a mile from Porkland.

Outside of supporting the nonprofit's programs, Shawn Arvin said Love City opened the restaurant as one more way to create jobs.

Portland is one of the poorest areas among Louisville and 16 of its peer cities, according to a report released in 2016. The Arvins said they wish to change that statistic by creating cash flow in the community, both through the jobs it offers and the training it can provide small business owners.

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"To expect a corporation to come in town and create jobs for everybody here is just not realistic," said Austin Lopesilvero, director of Love City's social impact incubator. "So how do we tap into the dreams and potential of our neighbors and to develop those dreams and develop those ideas into real, viable businesses, thus creating jobs from those businesses right here in our community?"

At the incubator, decked out in Google smart home devices, Lopesilvero teaches entrepreneurs how to conduct market analysis, start a website and build prototypes, all with the goal of improving or starting businesses that can lead to more employment.

"We want the neighborhood to be the ones to (make changes)," Inga Arvin said. "It's not about us doing it. It's about them realizing how great they are."

Bailey Loosemore: 502-582-4646; bloosemore@courier-journal.com; Twitter: @bloosemore. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: www.courier-journal.com/baileyl.

ENTER LOVE CITY

The nonprofit founded by Shawn and Inga Arvin opened a community center at 344 N. 26th St. in 2015 as a place for youth development, small business training and community gatherings in Louisville's Portland neighborhood.

This spring the nonprofit added a restaurant, Porkland BBQ, at 2519 St. Cecilia St. The restaurant is open 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Saturday.

Programs at the community center include:

Open gym from 2:30-7 p.m. Monday-Saturday for teens aged 12-18.

Free homework help for Westport Middle School students from 3-5 p.m. Thursdays.

Free structured activities for girls of all ages from 4:30-6 p.m. Wednesdays.

Thirteen free week-long summer camps for kids interested in sports, arts, technology and cooking.

For more information or to donate, visit lovecityinc.org.