Shopping

Being a river town, commerce has always played an important role in the economy of Louisville. Early explorers traded with Native Americans when they portaged their canoes around the Falls of the Ohio, and adventurers like Lewis and Clark loaded up on stores before heading into the unknown areas that lay ahead to the west. For most of the 1800s and early 1900s, steamboats laden with porcelain and furniture from New Orleans, the latest fashions from Philadelphia, and a multitude of sundries from Cincinnati and St. Louis docked at Louisville’s waterfront and discharged their cargo before loading up and returning to their ports of origin. Among the items they took with them were massive hogsheads of tobacco, casks of bourbon, crates of stoneware, and sacks of grain. During the years of Prohibition, gangsters poured into town to snatch up truckloads of illicit whiskey, and in the years leading up to World War II, Depression-weary locals flocked to Fourth Street in downtown Louisville to avail themselves of the bargain bins in department stores such as Stewart’s, Kaufman-Straus, and Levy Bros. In recent times shopping centers have sprung up on the outskirts of town to fulfill the needs of convenience-crazed Louisvillians with time and money on their hands.

Shopping in the Louisville area today runs the gamut from big-box chains and outlet centers to funky shops and specialty boutiques, but, like most cities in this country, retail stores and other venues for those in search of purchases have been slow in returning to the center of town. There are, nonetheless, a number of shops in the downtown area—the gallery district along East Market Street is especially popular among art lovers—that offer a wide variety of goods, and the number of stores and variety of merchandise increase every month. Mention shopping in Louisville, however, and most people think of the large malls such as St. Matthews or Oxmoor, or the newer Summit out in the East End, or else the eclectic storefronts along Bardstown Road or Frankfort Avenue come to mind. Aside from browsing for vintage clothing, consigned goods, and locally inspired crafts, these streets are great for people-watching while sipping a local brew or enjoying a morning coffee. Bardstown Road and Frankfort Avenue are also the places to go if you’re interested in antiques and gift shops.

Stores dedicated to Kentucky-themed memorabilia and local souvenirs can be found throughout the city, but many visitors prefer to wait for one of the local art shows to buy their Louisville keepsakes. The Cherokee Triangle Art Show takes place every year the weekend before the Kentucky Derby, just steps from the hustle and bustle of Bardstown Road, and during the first weekend in October throngs of shoppers flock to the St. James Court Art Show in Old Louisville. Any time of year, however, is the right time to pick up a reminder of your visit to the Derby City. Whether it’s a bottle of local small-batch bourbon, a customized bat from Louisville Slugger, a box of modjeskas from the candy store on the corner, or a Derby Pie from Kern’s, you’re sure to find what you’re looking for in one of Louisville’s many shops.

Shopping - The Arts

What I found was a city reshaping itself around the arts,” wrote Rita Lombardi for Boston’s Big, Red & Shiny magazine after a 2008 visit to Louisville. After expressing enthusiasm for the variety and quality of art in this Ohio River Valley city, she concluded that Louisvillians were “closer to art and its world than they dreamed they would ever be.” As a final warning, she advised major art centers like Boston and New York “to watch out” because “[t]he world isn’t your oyster anymore . . . the oyster is up for grabs.” Among the reasons for her optimism, she cited, among others, the 21c Museum Hotel, the number of up-and-coming art galleries and gatherings such as regular trolley hops designed to get people out and about in the city’s different arts districts. Fortunately, many in Louisville share her optimism, bolstered by the reputation archieved by artistic performance venues like Actors Theatre of Louisville and the Kentucky Ballet. There will always be those who view this city as a cultural backwater, however, when it comes to the arts. Those people, generally, haven’t been to Louisville. You’ll be pleased by what the arts hold in store for you in Kentucky’s largest city. From regional crafts and international art exbits to classical concerts and original theatrical productions, there’s something here for you.