Part two of a series profiling some of Lexington's lesser known, yet unique little shopping districts.
Sitting at the lunch counter of Wheeler Pharmacy in Lexington in January 2008 sure has a familiar feel to it. Maybe it's because people have sat on its stools and in its booths munching bacon and eggs, sipping coffee, chatting about everything and nothing, since January 15, 1958. A banner and large cake marked the store's 50th anniversary week, but nothing else changed. The old drug store still fed folks breakfast or lunch and promptly filled prescriptions. It continues to be owned and operated by the Wheeler family. Some things never change.
This time warp isn't considered strange in the Romany Road shopping district. Plopped down in the middle of a leafy residential neighborhood in Chevy Chase, not connected by any major streets, this retail area appears healthy and thriving. Stuck in the past, but also looking to the future.
So you can get your bearings, this part of Romany Road is a few blocks from some larger landmarks like the Cathedral of Christ the King, Morton Middle and Cassidy Elementary schools, and is less than a mile from UK's campus. On this one-block long strip, with Cooper Drive at one end and Providence Lane at the other, 21 businesses flourish far from the crowds and traffic congestion of Fayette Mall and Hamburg Pavilion.
Convenience and loyalty to certain businesses make customers return, say shop owners. Romany Road is a blend of old and new. There's a small-scale Kroger store for an anchor, but curiously, this single block also boasts two dry cleaners, two banks (a third bank has just an ATM on the sidewalk), two places to get your hair cut or styled and several restaurants. Stop for ice cream or pie, have a veterinarian look over your pet or get him groomed, order shades for your home or buy clothes and supplies for your next outdoor adventure. There's also a doctor, dentist and psychologist, if you need one, plus a CPA. Yet it seems odd that this tiny, isolated retail district, surrounded by well-kept 1940s and '50s homes, even exists.
"It's a little town within itself," said Terry Diamond, who with his brother, Tony, own an old-fashioned barber shop called Papa Diamond's Mustache. The name pays tribute to their dad, Bill, who bought the shop in 1973 and kept it in the family. Hair has been cut continuously at this spot since 1957. "You have a grocery, places to eat, everything you need right here," Diamond emphasized.
Well, maybe not "everything. Endless selection isn't why you shop here. There are no chain discount stores or big-box retailers