St. Matthews Liquor Barn will close Friday

[Robin Garr]

Closing Friday, unrelated - management says - to the ongoing battle between Liquor Barn and the other big-box wine shop across the street.

http://www.bizjournals.com/louisville/n ... 1438354406

The article says - and I hadn't known this - that only the St Matthews store remained under the ownership of the Lexington wine lover who had bought the old Louisville Party Source stores and changed them to Liquor Barn some years back.

Sadly, it didn't matter much to me. Party Source, particularly the Hurstbourne and later the Springhurst shops, had been among the nation's great wine shops for a while, but the new owners brought a different approach that didn't really give me much reason to drive out to the 'burbs for wine the way I used to.

Very well stated Robin. The management of the stores under the new ownership certainly doesn't have the overall passion that you could sense of the stores under the original ownership. However, we went to the new one in Middletown Commons the other day and they do have an excellent wine person (Kevin) in that store who seems to have a deep passion for wines. We found that the selection of wines there is significantly better than any of the other local Liquor Barns! You will be interested to see if it stays that way.

The new LB at Jefferson Commons (by the J Mall) is my new go to store. I've been 3-4 times now and every time I am amazed at the attention and offer to help that I get. I'm a bourbon guy and whoever they have running that dept knows his stuff. We talked for 15-20 minutes one day and he is very knowledgable and nice. The store is super clean. I just love it!!

I have to say that I was never in the St. Matthews Liquor Barn. We are pretty much wine (mostly my wife, sometimes me) and beer (me ) drinkers, with the occasional martini or Manhattan thrown in for variety, and I never see the need to leave my neighborhood. John Johnson at The Wine Rack carries everything that we need, and of course he and his staff are super-knowledgeable about wine.

I did stop by the Beverage Warehouse across Shelbyville Road from the Liquor Barn once for a last-second purchase on my way "outside the Watterson" ( ) and found the guy behind the counter very knowledgeable and friendly.

I won't miss it.

[Robin Garr]

the other local Liquor Barns!

Take note of the linked story, though: The St Matthews L Barn was the ONLY one still owned by the Lexington gent who started the original chain. He sold all the rest to a Michigan firm several years ago, so the one that's closing now leaves the rest of the chain under outside ownership. Well, even more outside than Lexington was.

the other local Liquor Barns!

Take note of the linked story, though: The St Matthews L Barn was the ONLY one still owned by the Lexington gent who started the original chain. He sold all the rest to a Michigan firm several years ago, so the one that's closing now leaves the rest of the chain under outside ownership. Well, even more outside than Lexington was.

I realize that but up until the new one opened in Middletown Commons I really didn't have much respect for their wine department but that one seems to have a very good person in charge of the wine department who so far has set up a pretty nice wine department. Hopefully it stays that way.

Robin. The other Barns are owned by a Canadian firm, not a Michigan firm.

[Robin Garr]

Robin. The other Barns are owned by a Canadian firm, not a Michigan firm.

Ah, someplace up north, anyway. Thanks, Rick.

Never cared much for that Liquor Barn. Beverage Warehouse across the street is my go-to liquor store of choice. They have cheaper prices on the stuff I buy and the staff is always friendly and appreciative. With the LB closure, maybe they will paint over those ugly red and orange colors !!!

[Robin Garr]

maybe they will paint over those ugly red and orange colors !!!

I hear you, Mark! About the color, I mean, and about the competition. When they first announced the St Matthews Liquor Barn I was kind of psyched, but after going on a couple of times and leaving empty-handed, I was over it.

I'll check out Beverage Warehouse, although it's going to be pretty hard to break me out of my cycle of The Wine Rack, Old Town, Wine Market and Gemelli, with occasional forays to Westport when I'm out in the 'burbs. For wine geeks, I think the competent small-retail setting beats the big box 90 percent of the time.

I went by yesterday for the food sale -- buy one, get two free. Nice deal, but the shelves were pretty cleared by then. Sadly, none of the beer stock was on sale. They had boxes open and ready to move the inventory, to the other locations, I presume.

I never frequented LB. As one who grew up a few streets from it, I refused to go in it for years due to the hideous "barn" exterior. I hope the new people tear it down.

I refused to go in it for years due to the hideous "barn" exterior. I hope the new people tear it down.

There's absolutely no reason to tear it down and waste the resources doing it. The exterior design could easily be changed to something different without much work. If you remember correctly it was a car dealership before it became LB and they didn't tear the building down to do that. The basic structure like that is very easy to remodel to something else without throwing away a lot of good materials.

I'll definitely miss that Liquor Barn, and not just because it was near me. I thought it had one of the best selections of beer in town (at least for American craft beer; not so much for imports). I enjoyed the fact that I'd frequently go in there and find an interesting beer that had just become available in Kentucky. That's not something you see at a lot of smaller stores.

I'll definitely miss that Liquor Barn, and not just because it was near me. I thought it had one of the best selections of beer in town (at least for American craft beer; not so much for imports). I enjoyed the fact that I'd frequently go in there and find an interesting beer that had just become available in Kentucky. That's not something you see at a lot of smaller stores.

I'd recommend Old Town Wine & Spirits on Bardstown Rd and Prospect Party Center on US 42 to anyone in the aforementioned pickle.