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Kroger introduces ‘Love the Cov’ community mural at Madison Ave store; complements interior renovation


By Mark Hansel
NKy Tribune managing editor

Kroger kicked off the creation of the “Love the Cov” community mural on the exterior of its newly renovated Covington store Thursday

Local artist Kevin T. Kelly works on the "Love the Cov"mural Thursday (photos by Mark Hansel)

Local artist Kevin T. Kelly works on the “Love the Cov” mural Thursday (photos by Mark Hansel)

The store is located at 1525 Madison Avenue.

Kroger recently invested $800,000 in the renovation of the Covington store. The mural continues the enhancement of the store on the exterior and celebrates the rich history of Covington and its residents.

Patty Leeseman, Public Affairs Manager for the Kroger, Cincinnati/Dayton Division, said Kroger conducted research and engaged Covington residents, city officials, community leaders and artists as well as Kroger associates to gather insight on what the mural should represent.

“This has been about a year in the making, we started last fall,” Leeseman said. “We couldn’t be more excited that it has come to be.”

The mural will encompass three exterior walls on the outside of the Kroger store. It is the fifth mural project that Kroger has locally commissioned since 2012.

Leeseman said the mural projects stem from Kroger’s desire to engage with the local community where it operates.

Left to right: Covington Mayor Sherry Carran, joins Lesley Amman and Jarrod Becker of BLDG, and Patty Leeseman of Kroger at Thursday's introduction of the mural.

Left to right: Covington Mayor Sherry Carran, joins Lesley Amman and Jarrod Becker of BLDG, and Patty Leeseman of Kroger, at Thursday’s introduction of the mural.

“Kroger is committed to the community and this is something that is unique,” Leeseman said. “We are also trying to bring a little bit of the community to the store. That’s why we did the focus groups and the research, we wanted to make sure we got input from the community because this is their store.”

Covington City Commissioner Chuck Eilerman said the mural and the investment in an inner city store are great for the city.

“It reflects the pride that is growing throughout the entire community in our city and in our neighborhoods and businesses,” Eilerman said. “We are very excited that this is happening.”

The mural depicts the diversity of the surrounding community and celebrates landmarks, including the Futuro House, Heron Fountain, and the Ascent. The quirky character of the city is also represented with a depiction of the running of the Goebel Goats.

Kroger is partnering with BLDG – a national branding and design agency in Covington.

Jarrod Becker with BLDG illustrated the mural and artist Kevin T. Kelly of Ludlow is helping with the creation.

Becker said the company worked with Ken Pray, the design director for Kroger, to make sure the mural was representative of the city.

A Goebel Goat is included in the "Love the Cov" mural.

A Goebel Goat is included in the “Love the Cov” mural.

“We kind of talked about, what does hyperlocal look like and how do we put that into art and create place out of it?” Becker said. “It’s been a great project.”

BLDG partnered locally with the city of Covington on its bicentennial in creating 10 murals in the city as well as worked with the Center for Great Neighborhoods in Covington.

The mural is expected to take four to six weeks to create and the community is encouraged to watch the progress.

An official unveiling will take place at the end of September.

Contact Mark Hansel at mark.hansel@nkytribune.com


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One Comment

  1. Joe Geiman says:

    I really like the idea, and like that Kroger is committed to the community. I would love to see more family owned grocery stores in northern Kentucky, but good to see they are about the local community.

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