Red Pepper

So bummed to see this place go. Loved the food and the ambience. Everyone I ever knew who ate there adored the place, so what went wrong?

Before Red Pepper, it was Maharajah Indian restaurant, and before that, Shariott's.

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.

Jones Bargain Center

When I first moved to Louisville this was one of the first places I frequented - Jones Bargain Center, a flea-marketty junk and furniture place in Clifton. Sad to see it boarded up and deserted.

Proof positive, if you really needed any, that I've got my finger on the pulse of the city (even if it may be a slightly bizarro alternate universe version of it): in Googling the place just now, I found that Broken Sidewalk put a piece up online TODAY about this very location, and how it's earmarked to be demolished for a gas station.

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.

Building, Frankfort and Ewing

What used to be in this building at the corner of Frankfort and Ewing? I don't remember. And why is it for sale directly from the Louisville Metro Government? I could probably do some snooping around online and figure it out, but I am a profoundly lazy man and besides, I hear the voice of a pork chop calling my name.

Ear X-Tacy

No, Ear X-Tacy didn't go out of business after their desperate plea for more business- they've just moved down the street a piece, to the old Fed Ex/Kinko's building at 2226 Bardstown Road.

Presumably, the rent here is much cheaper and/or they have a landlord who's willing to work with them (which is something all too rare these days). Meanwhile, their old location at 1534 Bardstown Road sits empty.

But now who's going to move into a place this expensive? Good question.

On the Border

On The Border is no more. How can a Mexican restaurant go out of business in this town? Along with pizza joints, they're like the basic building block of American civilization nowadays, with seemingly no upper limit on how many of them any given city can sustain. And yet, like Los Chubascos, it's vamoosed.

When it comes to authenticity, though, On The Border was probably near the bottom of the scale, what with so many great Latin restaurants in this burg. On the other hand, its close promixity to Tinseltown Theater should have guaranteed that even a Taco Bell could thrive out here. (Oh, wait - there is one nearby, and it is.)

Drexel Heritage

Drexel Heritage (9801 Linn Station Road) is having a big going-out-of-business sale. I never really paid attention to them and didn't even know what they were - I had to Google them when I got home to find out that they're a furniture store. Tucked amongst mostly residential and office spaces on Linn Station Road, I'm surprised they managed to make a go of it at all. Location, location, location.

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.

Furlongs

Whoops, Furlongs on Shelbyville Road has gone wayward; when did that happen? I never actually dined or drank here, but I did apply for a bartending position here last Winter. Some middle-management guy shook my hand, and said "Hello there, the manager's not here right now, he's home sick with Swine Flu." I doused my hands with sanitizer when I returned to my car, and never returned for a follow-up.

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.

Utopia

When Utopia is out of business, it's time to worry. Someone should change the sign to "Dystopia" now.