Kentucky Hops on Growing Trend of Food Halls and Markets

BY AMBER SMITH KENTUCKY

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Food halls and markets are popping up all over the country and Kentucky is getting on board with the trend. Food halls are similar to mall food courts, except, instead of fast food options, the halls have local restaurants, butcher shops and more. Public market concepts are similar, but have other retail options besides food.

Although it is growing, this is not a new concept. Cities across the country have been adopting this model for years. Kentucky, though, was slow to start getting on the trend. The Barn at the Summit at Fritz Farm in Lexington became the first food hall in Kentucky when it opened in 2017.

Since then, the Logan Street Market opened in the Shelby Park neighborhood of Louisville in October 2019. Now, plans are in the works for The Village Market set to open in the Paristown Pointe neighborhood of Louisville in the spring.

Kathy Hertle-Baker and her husband, Scott Baker, come to the Logan Street Market often. Other than their love of the concept, it creates convenience as the couple lives just a block and a half away.

“We actually bought our house about 8 months ago and we bought it in this neighborhood because we knew the market was opening. We wanted to be in a neighborhood that had this type of facility, so it actually made a difference on where we bought our house,” Hertle-Baker said.

Unlike the Bakers who go to Logan Street Market frequently, Glenn Koster checked it out for the very first time Saturday.

“Just walking through here, we were putting a meal together. We grabbed some cheese, some meat and some pasta. Before we knew it, dinner came together,” Koster said.

With food and retail shops under one roof, people are starting to prefer this one stop shop model.

“It’s fantastic. I love being able to stay in the neighborhood and not having to go somewhere else to get all these things,” Hertle-Baker said.

That traction is why the concept continues to grow. Real estate company Cushman and Wakefiled predicts there will be 300 food halls in the United States by the end of 2020.