Who in Eastern and Central Kentucky doesn't know where to find Lexington's "mega" shopping districts? Fayette Mall, Kentucky's largest with more than a million square feet, sits at one of the city's busiest intersections, Nicholasville and Reynolds roads, and has spawned hundreds of other retail businesses along that corridor, plus the inevitable traffic snarls morning, noon and night. And of course there's Hamburg Pavilion, the sprawling, sometimes confusing, 10-year-old (and still growing) eastside shopping extravaganza that has also triggered a construction boom of homes, apartments, condos, restaurants, hotels, and office buildings.†
But tucked away in several older Lexington neighborhoods are tiny, quaint retail districts, just off the beaten path, many dating to a time when neighborhood residents walked to the corner grocery where they were on a first-name basis with the shop's owner.
It's known as the Woodland Triangle Shopping District-at least that's the name store owners hope you'll remember it by. It's bounded by three streets: High, Maxwell, and Woodland, with a little spillover onto Kentucky Avenue. You might not realize it as you drive through the Triangle, but close to 30 businesses are tucked away in nooks and crannies. Some have been operating for more than two decades, others are new this winter.
"We're on one of the 'in-and-out' routes for people who travel to work downtown or to classes at UK," said Mike Courtney, owner of Black Swan Books, selling used and hard-to-find titles on Maxwell since 1984. "People find us."
Customers seem to like what they find, and they keep returning. A sense of curiosity brings some people to Woodland Triangle where they find diverse selection. Others come to appreciate the personal service, even if there isn't a huge parking lot right outside each store's front door. The retail mix is eclectic-from used bookstores to boutiques. There are stores dealing with home dÈcor, skateboards, artwork and frames, yarn, bicycles, pies, fine leather goods, hair styling, and more. Lexington's original Ramsey's Diner is on one corner. There are also architects, psychologists, a mortgage company, and even a tarot card reader.†
Despite the number of small businesses, vacancies don't linger, say shopkeepers, an indication that rents are reasonable and the neighborhood seems a good place for beginners to open their first businesses.
A pair of business owners arrived 21 years ago, weathered a few tough times, and stayed. Wes Gharrett and John Morris operate Decoratifs, an interior decorating and gift shop sitting at the point of the Triangle-the intersection of High and Kentucky streets. "The sheer number of businesses here has grown since we opened in 1987. I think there's a desire for small, independent businesses. People want variety and good customer service. Not everyone likes to shop at a mall," emphasized Gharrett.
A staff member at the Urban County Government's Division of Historic Preservation recently pored over old Sanborn Fire Insurance Company maps of the city for clues about the retail history of the neighborhood. The maps helped the company track the kinds of structures on each city street to determine the degree of fire hazard. "I would guess that commercial businesses in the Triangle began in the teens or 1920s," said Randy Shipp, preservation specialist with the Division. One Sanborn map, dated 1907, indicates nothing but residential property in the neighborhood. The next available map, in 1934, shows two filling stations, a plumbing shop, and half a dozen other unidentified businesses. "Back then, it appeared the Woodland commercial area was meeting a real need in the neighborhood, and that need is still viable today," said Shipp.†
Little new construction has appeared in the neighborhood over the years, until now. Under construction on the site of an old church is Mark Lofts at Woodland Park, a five-story building with 36 lofts, office space, and a high-end workout facility. The remaining lofts are priced between $227,000 and $561,000, according to the development's Web site. Some shop owners welcome the new neighbors, figuring there could be more shoppers and new businesses in the area. But the arrival of the lofts may also signal a warning to the neighborhood. The local planning commission has exempted the Triangle from the city's historic preservation overlay, which means other parcels could eventually be sold to developers. Ramsey's owner Rob Ramsey said he has a lease option on his restaurant property through 2024, which prohibits it from being razed and developed until then. "I am one reason the Triangle has not already been torn down and developed," said Ramsey. "But around me, the whole flavor of the area could change some day."†
Ramsey isn't the only one who is keeping an eye on the neighborhood's ever-changing personality. To remind him of the past, Courtney keeps on his bookstore wall a framed color photo of a Shell filling station operating in the middle of Woodford Triangle, circa 1945.
Nostalgia aside, with the past, present, and future on a collision course in the Triangle, questions linger as to whether the old neighborhood can maintain its charm and usefulness as a Lexington retail center.