Around the corner, curved wooden shingles serve as face of The Pearl, large windows on either side of a white front door under a single, spherical lamp. As far as dive bar entrances go, The Pearl of Germantown makes a case for one of the most attractive, a look that somehow feels organic to the neighborhood around it despite its relatively recent addition to Louisville’s Germantown district. During the evening hours, the glow of countless vintage beer signs and overhead large-bulb Christmas lights leaks from the large, single-pane windows out front to create that signature dive bar glow.
Walking inside, it is immediately clear that whoever collected the décor distributed throughout the Louisville dive bar knew what they were doing and spent a decent amount of time assembling an impressive array of vintage signs, neon and miscellany. The long shotgun-style layout of the space means that the wall decorations and light strands are taken in all at once upon entry, complemented by a warm, low ambient glow. One of the signature pieces is no doubt the retro jukebox just inside the front door, not functional during my visit but lit up in some of the pictures of The Pearl’s interior (fingers crossed it still operates).
My advice would be to soak in as much of the signage as possible and though much of it is vintage for the sake of adding to the dive bar’s ambiance, some of the wall flair is in active use such as the High Life light above the front door inscribed with current pricing on draft beer. Christmas lights swing at odd angles over the long room that houses The Pearl, paired up with vintage-style chandeliers extending from an equally vintage-looking stamped ceiling. And not to miss out on a clear dive bar necessity, a well-preserved Budweiser Clydesdale display hangs over the area behind the bar.