The History of Slim’s
Built in 1947 by Herman (Slim) and Annie Harned, Slim's Barbecue restaurant was one of Paducah's most iconic eating establishments. Slim's has been described as a " slice of Americana" and a former Kentucky governor once declared Slim's success was attributed to its laid-back, down-home, no-frills style. Its style included an L-shaped counter, nine chrome spinning bar stools, and a black and white checker board floor tile.
Over 43 years of operation, Slim's served delicious barbecue sandwiches, famous chili cheese hotdog sandwiches, fries, chips, fried fruit pies and glass bottled drinks to countless folks from Paducah and surrounding areas. Lines out the door were a daily occurrence. Employees from a number of businesses and factories, including Illinois Central Railroad, Lilly Paper Cup factory and Magnavox visited Slim's for lunch. Students from local high schools and Paducah Junior College would drop in for a pre or post game meal. Occasionally, Slim's hosted a famous athlete or national politician.
The charm and simplicity of Slim's were the keys to decades of success. In the May 5, 1990 Paducah Sun article "Last Lunch," Barbara Harned Bean was quoted as saying, "We've never tried to be fancy, we have just tried to keep a clean place and serve good food."
In May 1990, Slim's, as operated by the Harned family, closed its doors. The building changed hands and over time fell into disrepair. In 2017, the restaurant and attached house were under order for demolition by the city of Paducah. Chris and Ginny Hutson, owners of the adjacent building, a restored 1930s filling station (now Frenchtown Station), requested the city delay the demolition in order to review the feasibility of giving Slim's another day. After doing their due diligence, the Hutsons committed to the idea of saving Slim's. After the appropriate sealed bid process, the Hutson family acquired the property for $1.00. Shortly thereafter, work began to stabilize the restaurant portion.
Renovation of Slim’s
A picture tells a thousand stories. The old Slim's barbecue building and attached house were in rough shape after nearly two decades of vacancy. Both structures were being used for storage and both were taking on water.
In March 2018, we began the process of filling a huge dumpster to the brim with items left behind by the previous owner. Plastic wall board in the restaurant was removed, exposing the original plaster. Rusty fluorescent light fixtures, metal duct work and an assortment of other items were taken down and removed.
The ceiling/roof in the kitchen area had a hole large enough to drop a whiskey barrel through, so water damage was a very real issue. Another very real issue was grease from nearly 50 years of cooking and smoking meat.
Luckily the iconic counter and chrome bar stools were in fairly good condition. With a little elbow grease and the appropriate product, rust on the stools was minimized.
From meetings with our contractor, Ray Black and Sons, we knew the attached house formed part of one wall of Slim's. Unfortunately, the house was a total loss and had to come down. Because of this, the structural integrity of the restaurant was a concern. Pre-demolition stabilization of the restaurant wall and ceiling helped calm our nerves.
On April 9, 2018, our family collectively held its breath while we witnessed the demolition of the one hundred year old house. The process took the better part of a day and was successful thanks to the expertise of the gentleman who did the demo work and to the pre demo efforts of Ray Black and Sons.
The remaining structure, the former Slim's Barbecue, stood alone. Both beautiful and forlorn. The next step of the restoration process was the addition of a "bump out," which provided a new bathroom and a couple hundred extra square feet. All new electrical, plumbing, HVAC, painting both inside and outside were all to be done over the next months.
The ground where the house once stood was leveled and a stone patio and green space were fashioned.
The entire demo/restoration process took a little over a year. Through the experience we learned so very much. We thought we were saving an historic, even iconic Paducah structure. And indeed that goal was reached. What we didn't expect were the heartfelt stories that were told to us about family, friends and co workers sharing a meal at Slim's. Memories that involve food are very vivid and vert special. Maybe in some small way, by restoring the building, we were able to help preserve some of those memories. It has been an honor bringing this place back to life and reimagining the possibilities it holds for the future.
