Jennica's Closing

Looks like East Market is starting to crumble...

Listen Everyone...We have got to stop doing this. The overall tone of this thread has been as if the world is ending. And you know what? Shuffle through some more of the similar threads and they sound the same. Yes...it is unfortunate that SOME restaurants will not be able to weather this storm. But you know what? A lot are! To hear someone say that East Market is crumbling just goes to show how often that person is actually down here. Cake Flour - booming. Mayan - Steady numbers. Toast - Crazy busy. Melillos - well, I haven't been there yet (haha) but the parking lot is always full. Scout Furniture - Opening a second location across the street. Boston's (florist) twice as busy since her move from down the road. Not to mention our new restaurant and the relocation of Creation Gardens, Ky Bison & four other operations that I'm not at liberty to discuss at this time - all to an East Market address. Needless to say - East Market has a very bright future.
Local Government can't make people leave the house for dinner. The mayor can't make people dine out. But I will tell you this, first hand, the city of Louisville is very much in support of East Market development. The Mayor being the biggest of the supporters. This isn't opinion, I see it everyday. WE have to support local business. And sometimes that means converting some people who don't. We need more of the population caring more about what makes Louisville unique. I'm tired of everyone just talking about it.
And another thing. The Condo development on main not moving forward has absolutely nothing to do with the economy. Ask one of the contractors from the project.
Stepping down from my soap box.... here's to Jennica's - and two East Market Pioneers. You will be missed.

In my experience, Metro Government is more interested in the $$ businesses bring to downtown - hence promoting chain-like growth - than supporting our pioneer independent businesses. I have met with various city offices, and they seem to me to be more interested in the dollars than our mom and pops. Breaks my heart - KRA's base membership majority is independent restaurateurs, and that's who I try to represent and vocalize for.

Thanks Stacy

I think there is a painful reality to deal with here: locally operated and owned small business can't rehabilitate an entire area of downtown, including making Louisville Gardens an up-to-date location, pushing a large tenant into the Starks Building, etc. While I'd prefer that locally owned business take on larger and more important downtown projects, the capital required to do a major task can be huge, and a company like Cordish has the ability to bite off big chunks of downtown development. There are very few companies that do what Cordish does, and we are fortunate to have them as partners in this venture. It doesn't mean that I won't prefer - and frequent - locally owned business, but we also have to be realistic about how, as a community, we can get capital invested into our downtown.

(full disclosure - I'm on the board of the Downtown Development Corporation, but also a regular contributor here on issues less political!)

I'll vote for quality over quantity every time. These big sweeping developments that destroy the charm and identity of a neighborhood are not the answer IMO. We've got all that stuff up and down Shelbyville Road and Hurstbourne Lane....why would I go downtown for more of the same? Growth can occur at a slower but healthier pace as I see it. The leaders of this city need to play on it's strengths and not try to make us look like Indianapolis.

Having said all that, I hate that Jennica's didn't make it. Three cheers for any entrepreneur that takes a shot at their dream.

The Cordish Developments are not meant as a destination for the population of Louisville only.
They are meant as attractions for people to go to during their visit to Louisville. We have taken customers to the Lucky Strike,and Felt for entertainment.During Derby we had to stay at the Seelbach , and we took our customers to listen to the Goo Goo Dolls, (drew massive people), and then to Howl at the Moon. These are places I would not frequent on a regular basis, they are tourist attractions, and cool places for 21 year olds to go (I met a couple there) to celebrate their victory in becoming 21 .

Our oldest son is attending Culinary school in Charlotte, NC and right down the street from the Campus, Cordish is working their MOJO there too. The Nascar themed development is in Uptown, right next to the Light rail station (which we could use). I guess Louisvilles theme is country music. Bank of America headquarters is down the street, as well as other business , and financial institutions, local restaurants (my son works in one), and hotels. All that gives jobs to locals, and give an outlet to the business people to entertain their guests and clients. These centers are nothing new, someone mentioned Inner Harbor, I would visit my mother in Delaware (she was stationed their to work for the IRS ), and she would take my then boyfriend, now husband ,to Inner Harbor to entertain us while we visited. We were able to eat, shop, and have a first time peddle boat ride. It was sort of a departure from the everyday, and we actually had some fun!

These developments of course are meant to bring dollars to Louisville, and they hopefully help boost our economy, they are a necessity.




Louisville has more restaurants per capita over most other cities our size... it is hard to hit all of them, but we need to find a way to get our locals downtown too (and its not even that downtown, I consider East Market more of a Highlands extension.) I know there is the trolley hop, but we need more. There are folks in this town who complain about driving from the East end to the Highlands even to worship once a week (long political story there) , it will be hard to get them to go to eat "downtown", when they have perfectly good restaurants not far from where they live. There are restaurants who are sustaining, and some that are not, I do not know the answers, perhaps it's the old adage...."location, location," It is really important, maybe a marketing, and demographic study needs to be readdressed by either a firm, or someone in Stacy's (KRA) camp to see if something else can be done to help.

I will be the first one to take the fist step downtown for this weekend..... I will pick up the hubby from the airport, and I will take him to.....ummm let's see.... Mayan Cafe, I have not been there before, and have been meaning to, and tonight will be the night!

Anyone else like to join us?

I hope we can continue to build East Market and help grow the businesses that are there!

Marvelous post, Heather. Very well spoken! And I second your sentiments.

The Cordish Developments are not meant as a destination for the population of Louisville only.
They are meant as attractions for people to go to during their visit to Louisville. We have taken customers to the Lucky Strike,and Felt for entertainment.During Derby we had to stay at the Seelbach , and we took our customers to listen to the Goo Goo Dolls, (drew massive people), and then to Howl at the Moon. These are places I would not frequent on a regular basis, they are tourist attractions, and cool places for 21 year olds to go (I met a couple there) to celebrate their victory in becoming 21 .

Our oldest son is attending Culinary school in Charlotte, NC and right down the street from the Campus, Cordish is working their MOJO there too. The Nascar themed development is in Uptown, right next to the Light rail station (which we could use). I guess Louisvilles theme is country music.

To be fair, here is a link to Cordish's developments: http://www.cordish.com/sub.cfm?section=newdev. I think we should, for the sake of contextualization, provide details of what we are talking about. Or, in my case, bashing.

The idea that an outsider can come in and "theme" a city is pretty ridiculous. First, I don't want some outsider deciding how to market/theme my city. Second, the whole model is built on this "Same, but different" concept. Let's use this cookie-cutter approach but tweak it just a bit to make it seem (but only "seem") unique. Third, these themes always play to the "majority." Country music - really? - that's what best exhibits Louisville? Let's continue to forward this stale, white-bread view of the world, on city-backed tax breaks, nonetheless.

One of my pet peeves is when Louisvillians get married and direct their guests to spend a "wonderful evening at Fourth Street Live." I guess this is acceptable for those people who support and visit 4th street, but why would I take guests there when I never go there; because it's easy? firmly placed in the "safe" area when it comes to tastes? colorful? fake? corporate?
I once had a group of friends attending a weeding at the Seelbach that wanted to meet for drinks after the wedding. Although the wedding party had directed them to the fun time they would have at 4th Street Live I convinced them otherwise telling them 1) I know you and what you like and don't like and 2) I know Louisville. I still take pride in how many people commented on the good time they had at the BBC on 4th noting how it had a certain local feel to it. In other words, they came to Louisville and felt like they were in Louisville; they didn't come to Louisville and feel like they were in a corporate cookie-cutter that was "same-same-but different" from 25 other type megaplexes across America.

It's those damn tax cuts that get us though. Our local government (by the people for the people) has decided to hand our money over to corporate scumbags so now we 1) either have the choice to support Central City because to do so is to invest in our tax dollars or 2) flush our money down the drain. Sure sounds alot like mandatory dining at UofL. An individual does not have to support it, although he/she is supporting it nonetheless.

Amazingly enough, although a yellow-dog Democrat when it comes to national elections, I'm more and more intrigued by the way in which some moderate Republicans are leading Louisville. Granted, many of those Democrats just say "how high" when Jerry says "jump." Probably time for new leadership at the top.

Matthew,
First of all I said I was GUESSING that country music was the theme!
I took my guests to 4th street live because it was next door to the Seelbach. It was Derby, and I had to much white bread.... Red wine to drink, and chose not to get into my suburban soccer mom BMW, and drive drunk to a local micobrew pub. Yes some of us do have to have the support of Corp America to survive (some of us survive a little better) but because of Corporate America ,I was able to have enough money to buy a local independent restaurant... build it, sustain it, and give a springboard to my staff that includes job security to help propel them to the next level of their chosen career path whatever that may be.

Get over it!

Matthew,
First of all I said I was GUESSING that country music was the theme!
I took my guests to 4th street live because it was next door to the Seelbach. It was Derby, and I had to much white bread.... Red wine to drink, and chose not to get into my suburban soccer mom BMW, and drive drunk to a local micobrew pub. Yes some of us do have to have the support of Corp America to survive (some of us survive a little better) but because of Corporate America ,I was able to have enough money to buy a local independent restaurant... build it, sustain it, and give a springboard to my staff that includes job security to help propel them to the next level of their chosen career path whatever that may be.

Get over it!

Heather, my post was not meant to attack you; merely I was using your thoughts as a springboard to broader comments about Cordish.

And, instead of getting to a war of words, I'm going to step out of this conversation now.

has anyone kept track of the "businessess" that have closed that were a part of 4SL??? i know that there are many... at least 15 or so in the three / four years that it has been open???
most of it goes unnoticed because there is little, if anything, that is local there. there is zero emotional attachment to that place.
i am not out that much, but when i do go out, my money gets spent on bardstown rd, frankfort ave and on the occasional crazy trip out of the hood to one of several fine establishments near the "old sears building"!!!
it is really difficult to watch the local places take a beating, knowing that the majority of them have been created by folks who have put their hearts, souls and savings into something they believed in.
my two cents.
andrew

I'm with Andrew.

As for the non-merits of chain-speak Cordish developments, I've no intention of getting over it. The goal of education should be to imbue young people with the ability to see through shams. If that goal is at odds with the dictates of the mass market ... too bad.

If the local government keeps supporting projects like 4SL and the Cordish development that they just approved instead of unique local projects Louisville will start to look more like any other city. We aren't and don't want to be from how I understand people's opinions.

Maybe our mayor needs to realize this and start helping development of things that make Louisville Louisville! We need to develop incubator space where startup businesses can have low rent and support during their initial growth. We need to provide accessible parking and an atmosphere that encourages small "mom and pop" restaurants, markets and shops to not only open but also to thrive!

We don't need more national chains in any field, and we need to stop encouraging them. They provide nothing unique to Louisville, have no dedication to our city and take any profits they make out of the area.

Roger,
Funny you stopped by, speaking of brew pubs, I was getting ready to tell Matthew, that I have someone coming in from Belgium on Wed. and I was heading over to you! I did not mention it because my blood pressure was in the way.

I told Matthew only to get over it, I felt that he was addressing me personally.