Kiddle Kastle

Kiddie Kastle in St. Matthews is gone, but not for long: sign says they're expanding and moving to a nearby location in the same shopping center, near Off Broadway Shoes.

Stephens Drugs

Another classic old Louisville business goes bye-bye.

St. Matthews' beloved old-guy drugstore, Stephens Drugs on Shelbyville Road (previously Holdaway Drugs) has shut its doors forever and put up a sign sending all its former clientele to Wish's Drugs in Whipps Mill.


It's always puzzled me whether the establishment is meant to be called "Stephens" or "Stephen's" - the building itself lacks the apostrophe on their main sign and in many of their printed advertisements, yet they also have a smaller sign (visible in the top photo) that includes the apostrophe. Online listings almost universally disinclude the apostrophe.

Markdowns

Sad to see Markdowns (104 Fairfax Avenue) go. Although the sign says "clothing outlet", they actually had all kinds of interesting Big Lots-type finds in here. Most notably, I scored a bunch of great discontinued-colors Fiestaware here a few years ago.

Zone Comics/Superhero Cafe

At first I thought this place was another victim of the ongoing economics crunch and the ongoing cultural downfall of America (meaning, more and more kids today are too numb with Ritalin and video games to care about reading comic books). But rejoice - Zone Comics still lives on to fight the good fight, just a few doors further down at 291 Hubbards Lane.

4111 Oechsli

Right down the way from 4109 Oechsli, another vacancy in the real estate desert.

The Pitchin' Wedge

This place always reminded me of one of Daniel Clowes' absurd storefronts in the backgrounds of his comics. Sadly, it seems to have gone the way of Ice Haven. I walked by there the other day on my way to La Catalana and noticed it's empty. And for the rest of the evening, I drove myself insane singing Frank Sinatra's "Summer Wind" over and over but substituting the words "Pitchin' Wedge".

4109 Oechsli

How can anyplace so close to Havana Rumba, a virtual hub of hipsterdom, go out of business? Then again, a Google search shows that this spot has most recently been Girlfriends Gift Shop (who seem to still be in business online) and the Louisville Bridge Club (who have since moved to Dutchmans Lane). I suppose rum-soaked inebriants (like myself) aren't the sort of traffic these places were hoping for.

Smith's Furniture

I'm going to miss Smith's Furniture, and those old commercials with the owl... "Smith's Furniture, that's whoooo!" The last of their locations was here on Shelbyville Road and it finally followed its departed sister stores and gave up.

Of course, I never bought so much as a lampshade or a bobeche there; I just liked that the place existed, for its own sake.

Rogers Jewelers

Okay, so it's not exactly a photo of a store, but I didn't feel like going into both Mall St. Matthews and Oxmoor Mall to take photos. So here's this guy standing out in the freezing cold holding the sign announcing the closure of both of these Rogers Jewelers locations.

Starlight Frozen Custard

Earlier this summer, Twysters Frozen Custard, owned by the same folks, went out of business, and now its sister store has given up the ghost as well.

(I hate to say "I told you so", but the owner really should have let me take a picture of his damn cone and feature him in my book, instead of running me off. Sad, I tell you.)


It's a shame, too, because they had great custard. I went for an extended year-long jag where I had one of their chocolate malteds every day. Somehow I managed to break the spell. I think discovering the joys of Starbucks Mocha Frappucinos is what weaned me off the malts.

Sandman Pottery

A former Chevron gas station, Sandman Pottery did business here on Shelbyville Road for a short time, then departed this past summer.

Arby's, Shelbyville Road

This used to be one of the last remaining Arby's restaurants to still retain its glorious old 1960's-style neon sign.

You'd think it would be enshrined as a national treasure, right? Wrong.


The place was torn down last year and a sign was put up stating that a Mini Cooper dealership is coming. But so far, the lot is still empty and ugly.

Meanwhile, a new, modernized Arby's was erected down the street. Whoop-de-doo.

Louisville Billiard

A vacant store in progress: Louisville Billiard is closing its doors and going out of business afte 31 years. According to the Courier-Journal:

Sales have slumped at the store, which sells pool tables, bar stools and other game-room items, for about three years, president Mike Nilsson said. He blames a decrease in new home construction, which prompts people to finish basements, and a tightening of consumer credit.

“Basically the entire billiard industry nationwide is in a severe downturn right now,” Nilsson said, adding that Louisville Billiard closed its other store in Lexington in August after 19 years.

Bazo's

323 Wallace Avenue (just a few doors down from the also-empty Close Knit Cafe space) was Bazo's Fresh Mexican Grill. Never went there, so I didn't really miss it when it left. There was another branch of it on Dutchmans Lane, but I'm not sure if it closed too - maybe so, since their website seems to be defunct.

Google Maps Street View captured Bazo's during its existence:

Close-Knit Cafe

This combination yarn store and coffeehouse was located at 311 Wallace Avenue in St. Matthews. Being a yarn fetishist myself, I can't see having a place that encourages people to handle the goods while also handling food and drink. Their logo even depicted a ball of yarn floating in a cup of coffee, for God's sake; wrong message!

When I open a yarn store - and someday I will - it'll be lined with shelves containing only one skein of each type available for sale. Let that one display skein get handled and shopworn, and keep the rest stashed in a back room, safe from the coughing sneezing unwashed masses.

Schwinn Bicycles & Fitness

Another St. Matthews casualty - Schwinn Bicycles & Fitness at 106 Sears Avenue.

Target, Hubbards Lane

The Target store at the corner of Hubbards and Westport has been closed for a few months now, and I happened to drive by it last night during the big spooky thunderstorm, and snapped a couple quickies through the passenger's side window while doing 40mph. Hence, the pictures are looking rather Stipely.

It's all grist for my someday-to-be-released book Blurry Photographs Taken From Moving Cars; start reserving your copies now.

Snappy Tomato Pizza

When did the Snappy Tomato Pizza on Shelbyville Road disappear?? Seems like it was just there the other day. They're droppin' like flies out there, man, I'm tellin' ya.

Calico Corners

Took a photo of this empty storefront on Shelbyville Road, but couldn't for the life of me remember what had been there.

I had to check Google Maps Street View to refresh my memory... it was Calico Corners, a "fabrics and furniture" store, so says their sign. Never went there, and was only peripherally aware of their existence before.

S&K

For once, I've caught a store in the midst of its meltdown, on its way to being vacated.

I never went in S&K; honestly, I had never really even noticed its existence until just the other day. I usually get my suits on the cheap at consignment and thrift stores, and if I must buy new, an off-the-rack Arnold Palmer special from Kohl's is fine by me.

This is the same Shelbyville Road Plaza that used to have Wild Oats, Linens and Things, Circuit City, etc.