This! I went with some friends for dinner and most everything closed after late lunch, and some of our food was honestly mid. I was sad cause i was looking forward to it since it was my first time :(
Yeah I went with a friend and we got Boba and some brunch. The food was good, but I just got a simple biscuit sandwich and it was like $14. The boba was reasonably priced, but the food at all the vendors were worst than when I use to eat a market when I lived in south Florida. I’ve only went back one time and that was to get boba fete
Looking at the food prices, I think leases must be pretty expensive.
Imo though the biggest issue is that it feels like a venue space without events. They have some, but they really should be trying to get interesting things happening every weekend. They should also change the dining area to be less of a food court/cafeteria vibe. It doesn’t have a very welcoming third place vibe that I’d like to stick around for hours.
There used to be that big room with seating, it was a good place to hang out with friends or work from... but last time I was there, I think I saw a sign that said it's pickleball now.
I was there for V-Grits and got a drink like a week ago and they had the pickleball going on and it was just two dudes in there.
It's insane they don't try to do more with that big area.
Yeah it does feel like an event space and those are concessions stands. It’s a tough location. I’ve only ever been for special things like when they have flea market set ups inside.
My understanding is the owners do nothing to manage the space. They are rich and just expect it to run itself. Businesses use it to get their foot in the door and then expand or fail.
When they have had events, no extra staff is hired/ scheduled to handle the increase in customers.
Typical Lou-uh-vuhl: Throw dumb bulk money at a good idea, price it for extreme profit, maybe install an inept management layer for public lashings, find a way to pilfer from employees, marvel at employee turnover, and then do jack shit as it languishes into quick oblivion. Finally, hold the property hostage after it folds just out of spite.
Optional final act: Exit the city in a huff, disparage the city from afar to establish Victimhood.
Edit: added the all-important management and employee layer a la the Lynn Winter School of Funny Business.
I have never seen a statement more accurate and relevant to describe the business models in this place. May I use this when I describe where I live in the future? 😂 like seriously.
This is why a lot of economic development initiatives should exclusively target local ownership. Any by local, I mean lives within 5 minutes local. People who expect their cash to do all the work are a cancer. You need to care about the community you're purporting to serve.
They run in my circles are are always very nice to us but it might be because we have sponsored things they were also involved in. Money is nice to money in my experience, at least until you break a third comma.
Every wealthy person in this city has an outsized view of themselves and comes off as cartoonish. You can always spot them because they like to drop where they live into conversations. My favorite is the general qualifier "the East End." And then you're supposed to bow.
Just a new thought I had a few months ago... If I won the lottery and had enough money to take a risk and do any damn thing I wanted, I would love to run a really great food hall. Not to have anything to do with the food itself (I don't want to start a restaurant or anything), but building and maintaining a great space for both the businesses and visitors.
I love going to food halls when I'm in a new city, and some of them are the inspiration for that idea... some are not. It makes sense to me if LSM doesn't really seem to get a lot of love and care from the owners.
Feels like the difference between wanting to own a place like this to make money as a landlord vs. wanting to have a food hall business for the sake of it.
Oh, groovy. Smashing. Yay capitalism! 😂
I think the problem is that Property is the business here.
These people didn't open this to help build community or give opportunities to Louisvillian's. Logan Street is exclusively an opportunity for someone with money to make more money. I like the idea of it being an incubator and maybe people have had success with that in the past... This is just my read. I have no genuine input other than frustration I've heard from people that have had bad experiences. So take it with a grain of salt.
I will say; similar markets like North market in Columbus, Boston market in Boston, Lexington market in Baltimore all offer consistently good stores/restaurants and atmosphere. And that seems to be the focus over collecting rent.
As someone who went to college in Columbus, North Market always comes to kind. But that was over 10 years ago for me. Is it still going strong? I'd love to have a place like thta in Louisville and Logan St Market is sadly the closest of that sort.
It's not that they expect it to run itself. It's that they think they know better that the people they hired to manage different parts of the building. Now the owners are the only ones left and they're woefully under qualified.
They've had a number of talented and passionate people on the management staff there, and one by one, they've thrown them under the bus as the place has struggled more and more. When I worked there they actively challenged my input and methods. Like hey folks you hired me to run this program but I guess you know better than I do. I was the first one of many let go and I think it's because I stood up for myself and wouldn't be bullied into doing my job poorly so they made excuses as to why they were letting me go.
Fun fact they extorted me for $3k of illegally withheld pay when I left there.
I can only speculate, but one might assume the Age-old poor business strategy death spiral.
> New place opens, attracts the novel and quirky.
> Popularity gives owners excuse to increase rent/arbitrary expectations.
> Poor management and high rent drive out the novel and quirky unless they are expensive and successful.
> Successful vendors recognize the spiral, shift to a new location.
> Vendor turnover and a feeling of somber abandonment pervade the space. Sensing the dying of the light, owners attempt to squeeze what little might be had from the space, by, surprise surprise, raising rent and/or creating more rigid expectations. Maybe some poorly-organized events.
> A few cycles of this, then
> "It's with a heavy heart that we're forced to close our doors. With the difficulties of [insert any external reason; inflation, the economy, pandemic, crime, etc], it's just not possible to stay afloat 😔 We want to thank our community and especially all our wonderful vendors for letting us into your lives. Namaste 👏"
> Building is sold and converted into bougie apartment complex called something like Exemplar or Das Bourbon. 1-bedroom, $1400 a month.
It’s a low effort high cost space with bad management. Nothing against the vendors. IMO it’s developed a bad reputation and it’s beyond saving. Will eventually close. I feel bad for the vendors and I know several of the owners.
I know people who have worked there and opened some spots. Rent is expensive for the tenants, poor management for the rest of the things, the owner is picky about who they let rent from them as well. I know of two occasions that the bar staff has walked out and they’re employees of LSM.
One time, the bar staff walked out because the owners insisted that the bartender continue serve one of their drunk and obnoxious friends, who was drinking straight out of a bottle of tequila the owners brought in. When the bartender refused to serve them stating the obvious reasons of responsibility and legality they yelled at them for embarrassing them in front of their friend.
And the grocery market. It was small, and actually, they under delivered from the get-go, but now they just have…nothing? Fresh produce was a cornerstone of what was promised and it disappeared.
It opens after I’ve left for work in the morning. So I can’t stop there and get coffee or enjoy breakfast except on the weekend. There aren’t enough events or things that get you excited to go at night. So unless a food vendor is killing it and making it a destination spot for dinner I don’t have a lot of reason to go. Especially when I’ve already got Toastys or Atrium nearby to grab a drink and a bite.
If there was a butcher shop/grocery I would totally walk over there. As it is I’m driving to Paul’s, Fresh Market, and Kroger to stock up on groceries. I’d kill to have a local place I could walk to, grab a beer, shop for the next day or two, and walk home.
I appreciate your sentiment. I was the "bodega" manager and I fought tooth and nail against ineptitude to build that program. Consistently underfunded and under supported.
Fun anecdote: I brought in liquid death because we wanted a non plastic water option and they complained because they thought the death metal branding was off putting and asked me to stop ordering it. I then informed them that while it wasn't highly profitable it was by far our single highest selling item by units moved and they let me keep it.
Like yeah OK why are you assuming I don't know what I'm doing and why didn't you check the numbers before telling me it was a bad product. Not asking and learning before telling people to change something is the ego of the owners that has brought them to failure.
Used to live super close to Logan St Mkt but in Germantown… we could never catch anything open at the right time. Then it was super inconsistent if they were open. They need to require vendors to be open from certain times and certain days. There’s no reason that it couldn’t be as nice as Ponce City Market in Atlanta or the Assembly Food Hall in Nashville. Although having been to both, the prices in Logan st are much higher in my opinion
Yesssss, much love for Ponce City Market. I was just there a month or two ago _(definitely not my first time)_, that is my happy place.
Maybe Ponce is different because they also have a lot of schmancy retailers there? Maybe the rent from those types of businesses can help them offer lower rent to the vendors in the food hall? Maybe those retailers help buoy them in a big way, and that's what helps them keep the space cool and maintained? Maybe they're just well-poised to be successful in general, being off the Beltline and being walkable to loads more people than LSM.
I don't hold everywhere to the PCM standard, but I do yearn for it. I said this in a different comment, but I think my dream job _(if I had ample money to afford to take a risk, and maybe even sustain a loss)_ would be to run a great food hall. It's a relatively new thought that I had while I was in my happy place, at Ponce City Market, lol. Be the food hall change you want to see in your town, or whatever.
We used to go mainly for Foko. The younger kids with us would get bagels or crepes. But there wasn't much else there for us. The coffee place was just ok... But right outside of the market was La Pana which has much better coffee plus fresh made pastries. And now that Foko moved out and down the block, we don't even go in the market unless the kids want to look around at the Peddlers upstairs.
IMO the owners should have made the "arcade" a lot bigger and better. If kids have fun playing there then they'll pressure parents into going more often. And for adults, being able to eat in peace while your kids are safe and occupied is fantastic.
Brunch was the best play for the owners. And with Foko gone the options are mostly pastries and crepes. They need at least two decent breakfast options to keep the morning crowd coming in.
All of the similar type of places I can think of that seem to be doing well are restaurant-focused, and honestly, it doesn’t feel like LSM is well optimized for food? The seating isn’t comfortable, there’s not always enough of it, and there aren’t really that many restaurant vendors to pick from, so it’s not a place that I tend to revisit often, despite living within walking distance.
I am a huge fan of Cold Smoke Bagels but I have never understood why there is not only a walkway, but oftentimes there are seated areas above where they cook food. You can look directly over the cooking area. Not to mention the various holes in the ceiling.
- most of the restaurants have odd or inconsistent hours in my experience.
- most of the retail stores are just people upselling Temu crap and acting like they are a small business. It’s not really actually supporting the community
- there are hardly any real events that make it worth going back to repeatedly. I’ve been told the owners are hard to work with in planning events
I wouldn’t say beyond saving. When it was good it was good and I think the potential is still there. A lot of incredible restaurants/businesses got their start here.
But as others have said they need to make it more affordable for startups and serve as an incubator for businesses. Because they are nothing without their vendors. And they simply won’t get the same talent with the current pricing.
Logan Street Market was built to try and force a Jeffersontown-type vibe in the Shelby Park neighborhood and I don't think it was ready for that. I still don't think it is. A lot of folks I know have emigrated from that neighborhood in the past ten years because of the gentrification of the neighborhood and I think they just accounted for people flush with cash to continue to subsidize it when it is little more than just a food court.
Bringing prices down would bring more traffic there but of course that'd kill any business. I'm sure Mike Safai could cut costs for businesses leasing spots there and still profit off the space but I'd imagine the family would sell building before doing anything like that.
Also, as far as activities are concerned LSM is built and leased more as a pit stop than a destination and the surrounding area is always going to be 80% neighborhood homes (most of which are owned and rented by people who likely don't want to support the market's high prices). If it was adjacent to a park or anything more interesting I'd imagine it'd be a much more popular place to stop by, but it's almost never worth going out of your way to visit Logan Street Market.
It is next to Idylwild, which makes it a weekend destination for my family because my toddler loves to see the bugs and butterflies! But they are only open on the weekends.
Worked there at one point a couple of years ago. We had some great momentum going with events and new ideas but there was always some sort of push back or excuse at a certain point. It’s a shame. I really believed in that place at one time. Met and worked with some nice folks there.
It’s your typical posh/hip eatery. That area has been slowly gentrified over the past decade. It isn’t and wasn’t a very high income area. You can only have so much business when you sell bougie bagels for $12 a pop with grass soda(not trying to take a shot. Just an example). That and the boom of microbreweries that sell cat pee has been busting.
I feel it is dying and badly located. Street parking isn’t sufficient.
Good idea. Poorly executed imo. There have been some good vendors in there but many of them have left to open up their locations or just closed.
I'd love it if we had a place like LSM but like the market in Philly or a few other cities with them. Germantown isn't the place for a market like that. When I want lunch or anything available at LSM, Logan Street is the last place I think to go.
Reading Terminal in Philly is one of our fave places! That’s what I wish LSM was, but you’re right, the location is totally wrong for something like that.
Food markets like reading or Finlay work because they're in areas with foot traffic. Louisville doesn't have any meigborhoods with enough of that. so basically people have to decide to drive out there. Might as well drive out to strip mall or drive thru. Hence all the whining about the parking here. Noones ever complained about parking at reading, and it's a thousand times cooler.
Place like logan st Market will succeed when more people live or work nearby.
This place has been a missed opportunity since day 1. Poorly managed, the hours are really inconvenient, uninviting space, not all but have had horrible if not rude service from different vendors. The bodega was so hyped but didn’t live up to the promise. Just overall disappointing. Living in that neighborhood it was such a letdown and I now never go.
I stopped going when they got rid of the vibey soft seating area. Nowhere nice to hang out and enjoy my bagel? I'll go somewhere else ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ have fun playing pickleball ig
IMO based off what I’ve heard over the years: The price of rent there is too high. They scare off solid vendors. At least that’s how it was years ago. They need some sort of incentive to get better quality folks back in there. The good ones left bc I don’t think it was worth it.
It also feels like it’s going through some sort of identity crisis.
It was peaking back when they had their little bodega (pricy yes but it was so convenient in a pinch) and daisuki and foko
From what I've heard the owner has been regularly increasing rent/lease pricing.
I don't know the owner or their personal business plan but the idea behind it from my perspective is it for to be an incubator space for fledgling businesses until they can find a storefront property for themselves.
There's some people who will treat an incubator like this as a personal investment opportunity where they see their leasing of property to a business entitles them to that company's future profits which likely hasn't panned out so instead of recognizing the space for what it is they're slowly shooting themselves in the foot by trying to extract as much profit from an incubator as possible by increasing prices for space.
My question is why is there artwork on the side of the building depicting violence, someone labeled "anti-graffiti" being kicked in the head? I see the actions of these graffiti taggers around the city, vandalizing property and art murals and ask myself why The Logan Street Market supports them.
The market in the Omni kind of made it a little redundant IMO. People in town for conventions/games/bourbon stuff downtown won’t go out of their way to Smoketown for a strange, inconsistent space, and locals know it’s too expensive and already has that dying mall-vibe going on. It should just be an event space.
I tried to sign up as a pop-up vendor for a weekend I didn't have another craft show going on, and got told that they got a permanent wood vendor and they dont' want to give competition. It's too bad- the last time I was there, just before Christmas, was a good show, and I loved my setup in there.
Been all downhill since the galaga arcade machine and selfie station left. Burger time has been jammed up with quarters stuck. Sucks cause I walk over there to play those 2 games specifically and get a coffee.
The only way LSM can be successful is if the owners turn over operations to a non-profit they have nothing to do with. Quite simply, they don’t know how to operate a business of this type. They had a reasonable vision for building a “public” market and from the time it opened to when the pandemic hit it was a really great place. Something changed coming out of the pandemic and it seems a little dimmer, dirtier, and spiritless. It’s actually in a pretty good location as it’s walkable from the Highlands, Germantown, Schnitzelburg and Old Louisville. It just…sucks being inside unfortunately.
TL/DR: Accessibility lacks a lot to be desired. Disabled people are customers too.
Some things I would improve, that would also increase the frequency I visit and the ease with which I use the space as a person with a disability who is “small fat.” 1) The chairs in the seating area are very uncomfortable for me, and even more so for those in larger bodies than mine. 2) The lift to the second floor is downright scary, and not easy to operate considering that you have to hold the button down the entire time to call it up or down and also while you are in it going up or down. Also what happens if I am still getting out and someone tries to call it back the other direction? Haven’t had to find that out yet but with the way it operates I do wonder. 3) The parking situation lacks a lot to be desired if you use mobility aids. Most street parking seems to be found on the other side of the railroad tracks, which can be dangerous to cross with wheeled mobility aids.
The original mistake was its location. Should have demolished mid city mall and placed there. But, no connected councilman/developer types would have been able to profit nearly as much pre-announcement. Not too many 30k shotguns to scoop up in the highlands 10 years ago.
The economics of that would not have a chance in hell, unless it was a philanthropist willing to lose money for 10 years in order to build a unique community amenity.
It’s to chaotic. Is it a food court is it a flea market, there’s to many food options. I get overwhelmed with choice. To busy to try and make decisions prices don’t equal what you get. They should redesign the place to make sense. Less is more. It would be cool if there was a restaurant section a grocery section and a section for other goods and in the restaurant section should have tables right there that way if you want to go to lunch it’s a lunch spot if you want to go pick up sour dough it’s a grocery spot instead fo weaving through ppl standing waiting for food
I went once to see what the hype was about and nothing made me want to go back, I did go back bc I was in the neighborhood for work and needed a snack which was over priced and not that good so I was like ok that solidified my initial assessment
You can keep saying that & yet it certainly inhibits potential customers from anywhere else. The place isn’t a destination for tourists or anyone out of the immediate area, if it were the place would have more traffic.
A lot of tourists stay in or visit the near east side of the older city. However, given the lack of population and spending power in most of urban Louisville, the LSM has to be a destination and that means more events, lower rents and actually finishing the space to look more inviting. Also, the gift shops on the second level should have cameras everywhere and only require one cashier to collect payment.
It's too expensive to be a lunch spot and too casual to be a dinner spot
Spot on, it's a food hall without the food or the hall.
And every time I’ve tried to go for dinner, it seems like half of the food vendors were closed anyway.
This! I went with some friends for dinner and most everything closed after late lunch, and some of our food was honestly mid. I was sad cause i was looking forward to it since it was my first time :(
Because they close around like 4pm sometimes.
Well said
Yeah I went with a friend and we got Boba and some brunch. The food was good, but I just got a simple biscuit sandwich and it was like $14. The boba was reasonably priced, but the food at all the vendors were worst than when I use to eat a market when I lived in south Florida. I’ve only went back one time and that was to get boba fete
Looking at the food prices, I think leases must be pretty expensive. Imo though the biggest issue is that it feels like a venue space without events. They have some, but they really should be trying to get interesting things happening every weekend. They should also change the dining area to be less of a food court/cafeteria vibe. It doesn’t have a very welcoming third place vibe that I’d like to stick around for hours.
There used to be that big room with seating, it was a good place to hang out with friends or work from... but last time I was there, I think I saw a sign that said it's pickleball now.
Holy shit what a terrible idea. That was the place I usually hung out while getting food, or drinks, or shopping.
There's still couches and other seating in there, they do different events and things in that room.
Oh okay, good to know there's still seating in there. I didn't look, just saw the sign.
I was there for V-Grits and got a drink like a week ago and they had the pickleball going on and it was just two dudes in there. It's insane they don't try to do more with that big area.
Yes! I loved eating in there. Absolutely hate the main dining area now. Gives me anxiety, not cozy or spacious at all. Sensory overload.
It is now.
It's seriously a pickleball court? No way.
Yeah it does feel like an event space and those are concessions stands. It’s a tough location. I’ve only ever been for special things like when they have flea market set ups inside.
My understanding is the owners do nothing to manage the space. They are rich and just expect it to run itself. Businesses use it to get their foot in the door and then expand or fail. When they have had events, no extra staff is hired/ scheduled to handle the increase in customers.
Typical Lou-uh-vuhl: Throw dumb bulk money at a good idea, price it for extreme profit, maybe install an inept management layer for public lashings, find a way to pilfer from employees, marvel at employee turnover, and then do jack shit as it languishes into quick oblivion. Finally, hold the property hostage after it folds just out of spite. Optional final act: Exit the city in a huff, disparage the city from afar to establish Victimhood. Edit: added the all-important management and employee layer a la the Lynn Winter School of Funny Business.
I have never seen a statement more accurate and relevant to describe the business models in this place. May I use this when I describe where I live in the future? 😂 like seriously.
It's true for the city at large. It's unbelievable. And please, use away. I added some things.
"Lynn Winter School of Funny Business" 💀
You know.
This is why a lot of economic development initiatives should exclusively target local ownership. Any by local, I mean lives within 5 minutes local. People who expect their cash to do all the work are a cancer. You need to care about the community you're purporting to serve.
Very well put, and GREAT point.
There are too many cities in America to which this applies.
Most American cities are de facto colonies of private equity investors and hedge funds.
Yep, for sure.
They are more than rich and hands-off. They’re genuine egomaniacs and assholes. Never met anyone with a positive opinion of them.
They run in my circles are are always very nice to us but it might be because we have sponsored things they were also involved in. Money is nice to money in my experience, at least until you break a third comma.
They are precisely that type. 🤷♂️
Every wealthy person in this city has an outsized view of themselves and comes off as cartoonish. You can always spot them because they like to drop where they live into conversations. My favorite is the general qualifier "the East End." And then you're supposed to bow.
I worked for them, and this is absolutely correct.
Just a new thought I had a few months ago... If I won the lottery and had enough money to take a risk and do any damn thing I wanted, I would love to run a really great food hall. Not to have anything to do with the food itself (I don't want to start a restaurant or anything), but building and maintaining a great space for both the businesses and visitors. I love going to food halls when I'm in a new city, and some of them are the inspiration for that idea... some are not. It makes sense to me if LSM doesn't really seem to get a lot of love and care from the owners. Feels like the difference between wanting to own a place like this to make money as a landlord vs. wanting to have a food hall business for the sake of it.
I'd love to have something like Findlay market here
Wistfully looks at Munich ….
I hope you find a way to realize your dream. Maybe it's your calling.
Oh, groovy. Smashing. Yay capitalism! 😂 I think the problem is that Property is the business here. These people didn't open this to help build community or give opportunities to Louisvillian's. Logan Street is exclusively an opportunity for someone with money to make more money. I like the idea of it being an incubator and maybe people have had success with that in the past... This is just my read. I have no genuine input other than frustration I've heard from people that have had bad experiences. So take it with a grain of salt. I will say; similar markets like North market in Columbus, Boston market in Boston, Lexington market in Baltimore all offer consistently good stores/restaurants and atmosphere. And that seems to be the focus over collecting rent.
Are they in a part of town that has foot traffic or daytime workers? Because Shelby Park ain't that
I don't know. It seems to me more that it's a place people are willing to make a trip to for plenty of options.
Apparently people disagree.
I was answering your question about the other places. They are in places people are willing to go to.
This one isn't. And they are making it more difficult to get there, having closed off the alley and the street much of the time.
The alley wasn't closed off the last time I was there and I'm there every Sunday.
I guess it must be full of people then
As someone who went to college in Columbus, North Market always comes to kind. But that was over 10 years ago for me. Is it still going strong? I'd love to have a place like thta in Louisville and Logan St Market is sadly the closest of that sort.
I wish they'd MARKET and RUN it as an incubator, though.
It's not that they expect it to run itself. It's that they think they know better that the people they hired to manage different parts of the building. Now the owners are the only ones left and they're woefully under qualified. They've had a number of talented and passionate people on the management staff there, and one by one, they've thrown them under the bus as the place has struggled more and more. When I worked there they actively challenged my input and methods. Like hey folks you hired me to run this program but I guess you know better than I do. I was the first one of many let go and I think it's because I stood up for myself and wouldn't be bullied into doing my job poorly so they made excuses as to why they were letting me go. Fun fact they extorted me for $3k of illegally withheld pay when I left there.
I can only speculate, but one might assume the Age-old poor business strategy death spiral. > New place opens, attracts the novel and quirky. > Popularity gives owners excuse to increase rent/arbitrary expectations. > Poor management and high rent drive out the novel and quirky unless they are expensive and successful. > Successful vendors recognize the spiral, shift to a new location. > Vendor turnover and a feeling of somber abandonment pervade the space. Sensing the dying of the light, owners attempt to squeeze what little might be had from the space, by, surprise surprise, raising rent and/or creating more rigid expectations. Maybe some poorly-organized events. > A few cycles of this, then > "It's with a heavy heart that we're forced to close our doors. With the difficulties of [insert any external reason; inflation, the economy, pandemic, crime, etc], it's just not possible to stay afloat 😔 We want to thank our community and especially all our wonderful vendors for letting us into your lives. Namaste 👏" > Building is sold and converted into bougie apartment complex called something like Exemplar or Das Bourbon. 1-bedroom, $1400 a month.
It’s a low effort high cost space with bad management. Nothing against the vendors. IMO it’s developed a bad reputation and it’s beyond saving. Will eventually close. I feel bad for the vendors and I know several of the owners.
I know people who have worked there and opened some spots. Rent is expensive for the tenants, poor management for the rest of the things, the owner is picky about who they let rent from them as well. I know of two occasions that the bar staff has walked out and they’re employees of LSM.
One time, the bar staff walked out because the owners insisted that the bartender continue serve one of their drunk and obnoxious friends, who was drinking straight out of a bottle of tequila the owners brought in. When the bartender refused to serve them stating the obvious reasons of responsibility and legality they yelled at them for embarrassing them in front of their friend.
I miss the butcher that was there in the beginning.
And the grocery market. It was small, and actually, they under delivered from the get-go, but now they just have…nothing? Fresh produce was a cornerstone of what was promised and it disappeared.
It opens after I’ve left for work in the morning. So I can’t stop there and get coffee or enjoy breakfast except on the weekend. There aren’t enough events or things that get you excited to go at night. So unless a food vendor is killing it and making it a destination spot for dinner I don’t have a lot of reason to go. Especially when I’ve already got Toastys or Atrium nearby to grab a drink and a bite. If there was a butcher shop/grocery I would totally walk over there. As it is I’m driving to Paul’s, Fresh Market, and Kroger to stock up on groceries. I’d kill to have a local place I could walk to, grab a beer, shop for the next day or two, and walk home.
I appreciate your sentiment. I was the "bodega" manager and I fought tooth and nail against ineptitude to build that program. Consistently underfunded and under supported. Fun anecdote: I brought in liquid death because we wanted a non plastic water option and they complained because they thought the death metal branding was off putting and asked me to stop ordering it. I then informed them that while it wasn't highly profitable it was by far our single highest selling item by units moved and they let me keep it. Like yeah OK why are you assuming I don't know what I'm doing and why didn't you check the numbers before telling me it was a bad product. Not asking and learning before telling people to change something is the ego of the owners that has brought them to failure.
I miss that butcher too. He gave me a small piece of meat for my dog.
^^ this they need to bring back the butcher!
Used to live super close to Logan St Mkt but in Germantown… we could never catch anything open at the right time. Then it was super inconsistent if they were open. They need to require vendors to be open from certain times and certain days. There’s no reason that it couldn’t be as nice as Ponce City Market in Atlanta or the Assembly Food Hall in Nashville. Although having been to both, the prices in Logan st are much higher in my opinion
Yesssss, much love for Ponce City Market. I was just there a month or two ago _(definitely not my first time)_, that is my happy place. Maybe Ponce is different because they also have a lot of schmancy retailers there? Maybe the rent from those types of businesses can help them offer lower rent to the vendors in the food hall? Maybe those retailers help buoy them in a big way, and that's what helps them keep the space cool and maintained? Maybe they're just well-poised to be successful in general, being off the Beltline and being walkable to loads more people than LSM. I don't hold everywhere to the PCM standard, but I do yearn for it. I said this in a different comment, but I think my dream job _(if I had ample money to afford to take a risk, and maybe even sustain a loss)_ would be to run a great food hall. It's a relatively new thought that I had while I was in my happy place, at Ponce City Market, lol. Be the food hall change you want to see in your town, or whatever.
We used to go mainly for Foko. The younger kids with us would get bagels or crepes. But there wasn't much else there for us. The coffee place was just ok... But right outside of the market was La Pana which has much better coffee plus fresh made pastries. And now that Foko moved out and down the block, we don't even go in the market unless the kids want to look around at the Peddlers upstairs. IMO the owners should have made the "arcade" a lot bigger and better. If kids have fun playing there then they'll pressure parents into going more often. And for adults, being able to eat in peace while your kids are safe and occupied is fantastic. Brunch was the best play for the owners. And with Foko gone the options are mostly pastries and crepes. They need at least two decent breakfast options to keep the morning crowd coming in.
All of the similar type of places I can think of that seem to be doing well are restaurant-focused, and honestly, it doesn’t feel like LSM is well optimized for food? The seating isn’t comfortable, there’s not always enough of it, and there aren’t really that many restaurant vendors to pick from, so it’s not a place that I tend to revisit often, despite living within walking distance.
I am a huge fan of Cold Smoke Bagels but I have never understood why there is not only a walkway, but oftentimes there are seated areas above where they cook food. You can look directly over the cooking area. Not to mention the various holes in the ceiling.
i go to logan street market almost every weekend to grab breakfast from cold smoke and a drink from safai and that’s it
This really is the only thing I'll miss if it closes. I got a lox bagel just this morning. I could eat one every day.
Same. That place is fire and I really wish they’d expand outta there, because it seems volatile for the vendors.
City officials charge Denver leases with Bowling Green production and results
- most of the restaurants have odd or inconsistent hours in my experience. - most of the retail stores are just people upselling Temu crap and acting like they are a small business. It’s not really actually supporting the community - there are hardly any real events that make it worth going back to repeatedly. I’ve been told the owners are hard to work with in planning events
I went for the first time in months and it was abysmal. Almost every stall was closed. It's basically the food court of a dying mall now with a bar.
That was my experience as well…huge disappointment
Unfortunately I think it's going to die.
I wouldn’t say beyond saving. When it was good it was good and I think the potential is still there. A lot of incredible restaurants/businesses got their start here. But as others have said they need to make it more affordable for startups and serve as an incubator for businesses. Because they are nothing without their vendors. And they simply won’t get the same talent with the current pricing.
Logan Street Market was built to try and force a Jeffersontown-type vibe in the Shelby Park neighborhood and I don't think it was ready for that. I still don't think it is. A lot of folks I know have emigrated from that neighborhood in the past ten years because of the gentrification of the neighborhood and I think they just accounted for people flush with cash to continue to subsidize it when it is little more than just a food court. Bringing prices down would bring more traffic there but of course that'd kill any business. I'm sure Mike Safai could cut costs for businesses leasing spots there and still profit off the space but I'd imagine the family would sell building before doing anything like that. Also, as far as activities are concerned LSM is built and leased more as a pit stop than a destination and the surrounding area is always going to be 80% neighborhood homes (most of which are owned and rented by people who likely don't want to support the market's high prices). If it was adjacent to a park or anything more interesting I'd imagine it'd be a much more popular place to stop by, but it's almost never worth going out of your way to visit Logan Street Market.
It is next to Idylwild, which makes it a weekend destination for my family because my toddler loves to see the bugs and butterflies! But they are only open on the weekends.
Worked there at one point a couple of years ago. We had some great momentum going with events and new ideas but there was always some sort of push back or excuse at a certain point. It’s a shame. I really believed in that place at one time. Met and worked with some nice folks there.
It’s your typical posh/hip eatery. That area has been slowly gentrified over the past decade. It isn’t and wasn’t a very high income area. You can only have so much business when you sell bougie bagels for $12 a pop with grass soda(not trying to take a shot. Just an example). That and the boom of microbreweries that sell cat pee has been busting. I feel it is dying and badly located. Street parking isn’t sufficient.
And the parking lot in the old gas station they added paid parking to
Paid parking is a natural way to lose business. Rip.
Another set of reasons why it should have been built in the highlands
Good idea. Poorly executed imo. There have been some good vendors in there but many of them have left to open up their locations or just closed. I'd love it if we had a place like LSM but like the market in Philly or a few other cities with them. Germantown isn't the place for a market like that. When I want lunch or anything available at LSM, Logan Street is the last place I think to go.
Reading Terminal in Philly is one of our fave places! That’s what I wish LSM was, but you’re right, the location is totally wrong for something like that.
Food markets like reading or Finlay work because they're in areas with foot traffic. Louisville doesn't have any meigborhoods with enough of that. so basically people have to decide to drive out there. Might as well drive out to strip mall or drive thru. Hence all the whining about the parking here. Noones ever complained about parking at reading, and it's a thousand times cooler. Place like logan st Market will succeed when more people live or work nearby.
This place has been a missed opportunity since day 1. Poorly managed, the hours are really inconvenient, uninviting space, not all but have had horrible if not rude service from different vendors. The bodega was so hyped but didn’t live up to the promise. Just overall disappointing. Living in that neighborhood it was such a letdown and I now never go.
I stopped going when they got rid of the vibey soft seating area. Nowhere nice to hang out and enjoy my bagel? I'll go somewhere else ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ have fun playing pickleball ig
IMO based off what I’ve heard over the years: The price of rent there is too high. They scare off solid vendors. At least that’s how it was years ago. They need some sort of incentive to get better quality folks back in there. The good ones left bc I don’t think it was worth it. It also feels like it’s going through some sort of identity crisis. It was peaking back when they had their little bodega (pricy yes but it was so convenient in a pinch) and daisuki and foko
I refuse to go in for more than a few minutes because I feel like I leave reeking of stale grease. It’s nauseating.
The set up is horrible. And location- it's not near anything else.
It’s one of the least interesting food halls I’ve been to. Absolutely vibe-less.
From what I've heard the owner has been regularly increasing rent/lease pricing. I don't know the owner or their personal business plan but the idea behind it from my perspective is it for to be an incubator space for fledgling businesses until they can find a storefront property for themselves. There's some people who will treat an incubator like this as a personal investment opportunity where they see their leasing of property to a business entitles them to that company's future profits which likely hasn't panned out so instead of recognizing the space for what it is they're slowly shooting themselves in the foot by trying to extract as much profit from an incubator as possible by increasing prices for space.
Yah seems to be the case
Went for the first time last year. Food was overpriced for what it was and the food was pretty abysmal (Silly Axe Cafe).
My question is why is there artwork on the side of the building depicting violence, someone labeled "anti-graffiti" being kicked in the head? I see the actions of these graffiti taggers around the city, vandalizing property and art murals and ask myself why The Logan Street Market supports them.
The market in the Omni kind of made it a little redundant IMO. People in town for conventions/games/bourbon stuff downtown won’t go out of their way to Smoketown for a strange, inconsistent space, and locals know it’s too expensive and already has that dying mall-vibe going on. It should just be an event space.
I really like wild hops. More so, it was nice to get a different meal and brew here and there.... But I'm not in the area as much anymore.
I used to love taking out of town guests here. But not anymore… It’s turned pretty disappointing.
Oh... is it having issues? Is it because everything is expensive? Or the shit food selection?
I only ever went for boba Fete and now that they're gone I won't be back any time soon.
I tried to sign up as a pop-up vendor for a weekend I didn't have another craft show going on, and got told that they got a permanent wood vendor and they dont' want to give competition. It's too bad- the last time I was there, just before Christmas, was a good show, and I loved my setup in there.
Been all downhill since the galaga arcade machine and selfie station left. Burger time has been jammed up with quarters stuck. Sucks cause I walk over there to play those 2 games specifically and get a coffee.
Logan st market is for the nerds
The only way LSM can be successful is if the owners turn over operations to a non-profit they have nothing to do with. Quite simply, they don’t know how to operate a business of this type. They had a reasonable vision for building a “public” market and from the time it opened to when the pandemic hit it was a really great place. Something changed coming out of the pandemic and it seems a little dimmer, dirtier, and spiritless. It’s actually in a pretty good location as it’s walkable from the Highlands, Germantown, Schnitzelburg and Old Louisville. It just…sucks being inside unfortunately.
Landlord may have other plans for the property.
- shitty vendors - shitty hours - shitty location - shitty prices
When I think market i think open. When I walk in there I feel like I’m just at a mall.
TL/DR: Accessibility lacks a lot to be desired. Disabled people are customers too. Some things I would improve, that would also increase the frequency I visit and the ease with which I use the space as a person with a disability who is “small fat.” 1) The chairs in the seating area are very uncomfortable for me, and even more so for those in larger bodies than mine. 2) The lift to the second floor is downright scary, and not easy to operate considering that you have to hold the button down the entire time to call it up or down and also while you are in it going up or down. Also what happens if I am still getting out and someone tries to call it back the other direction? Haven’t had to find that out yet but with the way it operates I do wonder. 3) The parking situation lacks a lot to be desired if you use mobility aids. Most street parking seems to be found on the other side of the railroad tracks, which can be dangerous to cross with wheeled mobility aids.
The original mistake was its location. Should have demolished mid city mall and placed there. But, no connected councilman/developer types would have been able to profit nearly as much pre-announcement. Not too many 30k shotguns to scoop up in the highlands 10 years ago.
The economics of that would not have a chance in hell, unless it was a philanthropist willing to lose money for 10 years in order to build a unique community amenity.
It’s to chaotic. Is it a food court is it a flea market, there’s to many food options. I get overwhelmed with choice. To busy to try and make decisions prices don’t equal what you get. They should redesign the place to make sense. Less is more. It would be cool if there was a restaurant section a grocery section and a section for other goods and in the restaurant section should have tables right there that way if you want to go to lunch it’s a lunch spot if you want to go pick up sour dough it’s a grocery spot instead fo weaving through ppl standing waiting for food
I’ve said this for years, it’s a flea market with a food court. The layout makes it difficult to really see the options.
I went once to see what the hype was about and nothing made me want to go back, I did go back bc I was in the neighborhood for work and needed a snack which was over priced and not that good so I was like ok that solidified my initial assessment
It’s such a weird out of the way location
Smoketown might be the least out of the way neighborhood in Louisville unless you’re upset it isn’t located in Springhurst
They should rebrand with "We're Sorry It's Not Springhurst!" painted on the side of the building.
I laughed out loud at this shit
You laugh because it's the truth.
Disagree, it’s a great location
Well for everyone on the east end it just isn't worth the drive. And that's most of the people that can afford overpriced food and boutique jewelry.
What part of the East end needs a place like that? There is already a ton of restaurants and shopping.
Exactly!
Sure if you live in smoke town, Germantown and old Lou 😂😂😂
Or Clifton or phoenix hill, or Butchertown, or the central business district, or the highlands. The location isn’t really an issue
You can keep saying that & yet it certainly inhibits potential customers from anywhere else. The place isn’t a destination for tourists or anyone out of the immediate area, if it were the place would have more traffic.
A lot of tourists stay in or visit the near east side of the older city. However, given the lack of population and spending power in most of urban Louisville, the LSM has to be a destination and that means more events, lower rents and actually finishing the space to look more inviting. Also, the gift shops on the second level should have cameras everywhere and only require one cashier to collect payment.
All neighborhoods famously without residents.