Unique jazz club that was part of revitalization of KY town closing
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- Emerald Hound opened April 2025 and will close March 28 (final night announced).
- Guthries launched multiple downtown ventures that helped expand Somerset’s nightlife.
- Bar offered curated cocktails, a dress code, and regular live jazz performances.
A local bar that had been jazzing up one south-central Kentucky town with an intimate and elevated date night experience is saying goodbye.
But there’s still time to enjoy a little more music.
The Emerald Hound opened in Somerset’s Fountain Square in April 2025 above artisanal gift and ice cream shop The Tangerine Moose, both of which are owned by Angelique and William Guthrie.
Now, in a post on social media on March 11, The Emerald Hound announced that the “doors will close a final time” on March 28 after a last Saturday night of jazz.
“We’re incredibly grateful for the musicians who brought their talent to our stage and for the patrons who filled the room week after week. What began as a simple idea — a small jazz bar in downtown Somerset — became something truly special because of you,” the bar posted on Facebook.
According to Angelique, the bar’s name was inspired by their friends back in Colorado who owned a Rhodesian Ridgeback show dog named Gunnison, along with the building’s history — specifically from 1967-2022 when it was Corder’s Jewelry .
“I started looking up pictures of jazz greats like Frank Sinatra and Louis Armstrong with their dogs, which got me brainstorming on how to tie both into a potential name,” recalls Guthrie. “Once we settled on using the term ‘Hound’ in the name rather than ‘Dog’ or ‘Gunnison’ I began tossing around gem names like ‘Diamond’ and ‘Pearl’, but ‘Emerald’ was the one that stuck. I’ve always loved the dark green accents of emeralds, so it made for an easy choice.”
What’s on the menu at The Emerald Hound
From portraits lining the entrance to dog statues serving as tip jars to clever canine-themed cocktails, The Emerald Hound leaned into its quirky name . The menu features a dozen specially curated drinks that ranging from the Bull Mastiff Old Fashioned (Old Forester 1920, Bittercube Orange Bitters, and a secret ingredient kept tucked away in a safe left behind by one of the building’s previous tenants — a bank) to the Springtime Yorkie (Crop Meyer Vodka, Faretti Biscotti Liqueur and Aperol) and Blackberry Bloodhound (Fifty Pounds Gin, Gifford’s Blackberry Liqueur and Pama Liqueur).
The Hound’s menu also included run-of-the-mill drinks like Bud Light and Tito’s along with an assortment of wines like Kendal Jackson Chardonnay ($12/glass) and Pride Mountain Merlot ($90/bottle). The bar will even have a few dog-centric mocktails. Aside from drinks, the bar serves lite-bites that include sushi spring rolls, pretzel bites, Parmesan truffle popcorn and a cookie and caramel sampler.
“The reason we chose a jazz bar was because they’re something my husband and I always look for when we go out,” Angelique Guthrie explained. “We wanted to create a space where couples can reunite and friends can gather because until recently Somerset didn’t have many places like that.”
The Guthries’ vision For Somerset
Since moving to Kentucky from Denver in 2006, The Guthries have stayed busy with entrepreneurial endeavors. They launched Guthrie’s Float Shop in Russell Springs, a concept that’s became the ice cream and milkshake options at The Tangerine Moose.
After moving to Somerset in 2010 they spearheaded Guthrie’s Grill — which was sold and rebranded as Cumberland Grill in August 2024. In 2020, the Guthries opened Charred Oak Grill inside an old grocery store in downtown Somerset. The Moose followed in January 2024, then The Hound last April and their latest venture, Guthrie’s Butcher Shop, in August.
“(Charred Oak) was one of the first businesses that anchored and helped start the revitalization of downtown,” says Guthrie. “A couple years later we purchased (the building now home to The Emerald Hound and The Tangerine Moose) with the anticipation of opening up an Italian restaurant, but the concept wound up not being a good fit for the space. It left us wondering what we’d do with the building, so we decided to renovate it.”
After a two-year refurbishing project of the structure built in the 1890s was complete it wasn’t long before The Tangerine Moose opened on its ground floor.
Between its mix of hand-crafted art from around the world, unique ice cream flavors like Unicorn Kiss (rainbow sherbet, raspberry puree, Sprite, and unicorn marshmallows) and Moose On The Loose (salted caramel coffee ice cream, caramel, and cold brew) and the dog-themed jazz bar, the Guthries have gone out of their way to bring new ideas to Somerset, helping to diversify and expand the town’s entertainment and nightlife options in the process.
“My husband and I never offer anything that is next door,” says Guthrie. “I don’t believe in offering something somebody already has for less — that’s not true competition. Small towns need variety to grow and thrive, which is exactly what we’ve aimed to deliver with each business we’ve owned.”
It’s unclear what will become of the space after The Emerald Hound closes. Angelique Guthrie said that the entire building is for sale, and they plan to move the Tangerine Moose to another location .
The Emerald Hound & The Tangerine Moose
Where: 38 Public Square, Somerset
Emerald Hound hours: Friday-Saturday 6 p.m.-12 a.m., closed Sunday-Thursday
Tangerine Moose Hours: Tuesday-Saturday 11 a.m.-6 p.m., closed Sunday-Monday
Online: emeraldhoundjazz.com and tangerinemoose.com
This story was originally published March 19, 2026 at 5:03 AM.