After practically three years of planning and renovations, a repurposed historic former bus station in Lexington’s north facet will quickly be bustling as soon as once more.
The primary tenants of GreyLine Station – a large-scale, mixed-use retail, workplace and hospitality challenge on the nook of North Limestone and Loudon Avenue – started to open their doorways to the general public in November, with further tenants slated to open within the weeks and months forward.
The much-anticipated challenge, which additionally contains area and rental charges for nonprofits and small start-up companies trying to develop, has been within the works for a number of years. As with many initiatives of this scale, the grand opening has been pushed again a number of instances, resulting from building setbacks and pandemic-related issues. However the wait is ending. GreyLine tenant Poppy & Pomelo, a brand new domestically owned boutique specializing in distinctive Truthful Commerce objects, formally opened its doorways to the general public on Nov. 10, with a number of different tenants anticipated to affix it by 12 months’s finish.
Inbuilt 1928, the 65,000-square-foot constructing that homes GreyLine initially served because the headquarters and bus station for Southeast Greyhound Traces and, extra not too long ago, because the headquarters and a upkeep restore facility for LexTran. LexTran offered the property to developer Needham Properties in 2018.
A significant companion within the challenge is North Limestone Group Improvement Company (NoLi CDC), a nonprofit that was created in 2013 to domesticate new alternatives in Lexington’s Northside neighborhood. The group could have a significant presence within the area. Along with transferring its places of work to GreyLine Station, the group can even launch and handle the year-round Julietta Market, a multi-vendor market that takes up a big portion of the area.
Named after the late Lexington activist Julia Etta Lewis, Julietta Market will occupy about 23,000 sq. ft inside GreyLine Station and can embrace 72 kiosks, eight meals stalls, artwork exhibitions, shared assembly and kitchen areas, a stage, play space and extra. The challenge honors the spirit of Lewis, who was among the many leaders in Lexington’s civil rights motion and in addition led the combat in opposition to segregation in training, leisure, procuring, eating places and public transportation.
Julietta Market can even embrace a year-round farmers’ market together with Black Soil, a company with a mission to reconnect African Individuals in Kentucky with their agricultural heritage and to assist convey collectively city households and farmers towards higher prosperity. The farmers’ market is slated for a gentle opening on Small Enterprise Saturday (Nov. 28), with year-round hours to choose up in early 2021.
In June, NoLi CDC employed Leannia Haywood as director of small-business growth to assist develop the market and to assist fledgling entrepreneurs via one-on-one consultations, group lessons, small-business teaching, mentorship meetups and workshops. Previous to becoming a member of the NoLi CDC, Haywood was director of the Boys and Women Membership of America in Lovett, Texas, the place she launched a youth entrepreneurship program. She later spent 4 years as govt director of Grace of Serenity Dwelling in Phoenix, main a youth entrepreneurship program there.
Haywood mentioned that whereas the pandemic has introduced extra earnings insecurity and job loss, it has additionally introduced an excellent alternative for folks of all ages to think about launching companies of their very own. One in all NoLi CDC’s underlying objectives with Julietta Market is to assist nourish a tradition of entrepreneurship within the North Lexington neighborhood.
“What we’re hoping is we’ll see extra sustainability all through this neighborhood,” Haywood mentioned. “If you train folks easy methods to assist themselves, they in flip discover ways to assist others higher.”
To assist hold bills low for distributors, NoLi CDC has launched a $25,000 crowdsourced fundraising marketing campaign on the platform GoFundMe. Different funding sources embrace grants from the Knight Basis, Snowy Owl Basis and an identical grant from the U.S. Division of Agriculture.
Haywood mentioned donations can even assist fund Shares Group Kitchen. Set to open early subsequent 12 months, the commercial-grade, regulation-compliant kitchen may be rented for as little as $25 a day.
“That’s unprecedented, however with the neighborhood’s assist, we are able to do it, so nobody is barred from their dream [of starting a food-based business],” Haywood mentioned.
The preliminary culinary-based tenants that can occupy kiosks at Julietta Market embrace Inebriated Baker, a neighborhood start-up specializing in “boozy baked items”; the connoisseur caramel and sweet apple firm A Style of Fall; and the favored native ice cream store Sav’s Chill. A tattoo store, handcrafted cleaning soap firm, tarot sales space and artwork galleries are among the many different distributors confirmed for Julietta Market.
Whereas “when will it open” has been a preferred query concerning the market, the reply has remained a transferring goal as the development and allowing processes wrap up and delays pend because of the pandemic. Le’She Robinson, who was employed as director of operations for Julietta Market, mentioned the market was planning to open on Nov. 28, with restricted hours (Fri.-Solar.) till mid-March, at which level they might reevaluate the hours. Plans for a grand opening/dedication ceremony have been scaled again, with a smaller-scale Winter Market within the area slated for Dec. 5.
As the numerous items of this multi-faceted challenge begin to come to life, Needham mirrored on the challenge, which he mentioned is totally different than some other constructing he’s labored on throughout his profession. As a enterprise incubator, the positioning will frequently evolve as increasing companies envelop further area, new companies arrive and others relocate as their wants change.
“There’s an pleasure and an vitality in an area like GreyLine that brings so many small companies collectively, for and with a neighborhood,” mentioned Dayna De Leon, who can be serving to oversee the opening of Forage and Koko, two sister companies that concentrate on houseplants and sustainable, earth-friendly cleansing merchandise and toiletries. Within the spirit of neighborhood, the 2 companies will share an area inside GreyLine.
GreyLine Station “is a residing, respiration factor – a lot larger than the precise constructing,” Needham mentioned. “The entire is far higher than its elements.”
In accordance with Chad Needham, proprietor of Needham Properties, current renovations have included a brand new roof; new plumbing, electrical and climate-control techniques; and changing or repairing concrete and putting in greater than 3,500 new home windows. A newly put in rainwater harvesting system captures runoff water from the roof and directs it to cisterns beneath the car parking zone for reuse.
All instructed, the challenge represents a greater than $5 million reinvestment in the neighborhood, mentioned Needham, who additionally owns quite a few different properties within the neighborhood.
“My need to enhance North Limestone and take the older buildings which might be vacant and convey new life to them [has] at all times been a chance that conjures up me,” he mentioned.
Needham mentioned the multi-faceted challenge has drawn robust curiosity from the neighborhood and reported in October that it was about two-thirds booked. The distributors represent a melding of varied ideas, with a number of culinary and hospitality companies anchoring the south finish of the constructing; a handful of retail distributors that may be accessed from each the outside and inside of the constructing; workplace area for non-profits and different ventures; and on the middle, a big open market with greater than 50 kiosks for small companies, artists, start-ups and extra. Clerestory, a brand new 6,000-square-foot wedding-and-event venue within the area owned by occasion planner Shelley Fortune not too long ago hosted its first occasions, and Lexington neighborhood radio station RadioLex is planning to maneuver its headquarters and studio into GreyLine earlier than the 12 months’s finish.
“The GreyLine challenge goes to be transformative for the neighborhood, offering area for grassroots entrepreneurs and small native companies,” mentioned Mark Royse, the station’s basic supervisor. He mentioned the transfer, which comes on the heels of the station’s five-year anniversary, will permit the station to double its area and provide expanded entry to the general public airwaves.
GREYLINE STATION
803 North Limestone St. • www.greylinestation.com
GreyLine Station is a multi-faceted idea that includes a number of stand-alone retail companies, a handful of culinary/hospitality companies that share a standard sitting space, a big neighborhood market that includes dozens of kiosks, a year-round farmers’ market, a shared neighborhood kitchen, a wedding-and-event venue, workplace area and extra.
Many companies are slated to open in time for Small Enterprise Saturday (Nov. 28), with others to open on their very own schedule within the coming weeks and months.
GreyLine tenants embrace:
• North Lime Espresso & Donuts, the favored espresso store and bakery that’s transferring from its unique North Limestone location
• Laura Lou Pâtisserie, a brand new European-style bakery that can characteristic a wide range of baked items
• Wilson’s Meat & Grocery, an offshoot of the favored Kenwick neighborhood market and deli
• Outdated North Bar, an informal neighborhood bar that can characteristic a “sip and stroll license” to permit patrons the choice to buy alcoholic drinks to hold whereas perusing different GreyLine companies
• Nourished Of us, a café and meal prep service with a deal with healthful meals
• Forage and Koko, two sister companies that can function out of a shared area, that includes environmentally pleasant cleansing merchandise and toiletries, houseplants, house items and extra
• Poppy & Pomelo, a brand new domestically owned boutique that gives distinctive small-batch and Truthful-Commerce presents, equipment and home items
• Clerestory, a chic and industrial wedding-and-event venue that may accommodate as much as 400 folks
• Julietta Market, a neighborhood market that includes greater than 50 kiosks for small companies and nonprofits, with tenants that embrace a tattoo parlor, tarot store, a number of small culinary-based startups, handmade jewellery and different crafts, a year-round farmers’ market and extra
• Shares Group Kitchen, a commercial-grade, neighborhood kitchen that culinary entrepreneurs can hire by the day
• RadioLEX, the places of work and studio for Lexington’s neighborhood radio station
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