SHAKESPEARE_Sarah Jane Sanders c2014_-1
Photos by Sarah Jane Sanders
With nearly 20 restaurants in a three-block radius, Short Street has evolved into a thriving dining district – and the epicenter of downtown – over the past five years. On the following pages, we take a look at some of the businesses that define the district.
Every Thursday from April to October, as the music winds down at Fifth Third Bank Pavilion, the Central Bank Thursday Night Live crowd floods the Short Street corridor, venturing out to the nearly 20 restaurants within a three-block radius. This winter, after a day at the ice rink or the Christmas parade, bundled couples and families can find comfort in Parlay Social’s grilled cheese, Dudley on Short’s Pasta Dudley, Shakespeare and Co.’s English breakfast or any number of warm, culinary delights within walking distance. In the past four years, since the World Equestrian Games, Short Street has blossomed into a premiere dining destination in the heart of downtown Lexington.
Next to the iconic former Fayette County Courthouse, Cheapside Park — with its notorious history as a slave-auction block — became the site for the multi-use Fifth Third Bank Pavilion in 2010. Laura Farnsworth, events manager for the Downtown Lexington Corporation, says the pavilion has served as a catalyst, with several new businesses moving into the area following its construction.
“It’s come a long way in the past four years,” said Farnsworth. Thursday Night Live is the city’s most popular event, with attendance growing from 1,000 to 4,000 people per week. It has become more family friendly and people now stay downtown to socialize. Farnsworth attributes the success to the location of Short Street: “It’s in the middle of other pockets. You can go on foot to many other venues. It’s very connected to other parts of downtown.”
Debbie Long, owner of Dudley’s on Short, agrees that the central location makes Short Street attractive to new businesses. When she moved her restaurant out of its namesake Dudley Square in 2010 – after 28 years at that location – she was drawn to what she saw happening on Short Street.
“There was a lot of energy down here on Friday and Saturday nights,” she said. “We needed a location close to the hotels, Rupp Arena, the Lexington Opera House.” The move has proved incredibly successful for the business, which still does 75 percent of its business in reservations, but walk-ins are common.
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Restaurants are not the only businesses to flourish in the district. Bill Alverson, president of Traditional Bank, has seen the bank, with its strong community ties, rise from a small space in a former county attorney’s office to a thriving success.
“We are now fifth in market shares out of 26 banks in Lexington,” Alverson said. “When we opened, we were in last place.” He shared that having a location in the heartbeat of the downtown community was a priority. Traditional Bank supports many downtown ventures, including sponsoring the ice rink and holding season tickets at the Lexington Opera House.
“Folks want to be downtown. It’s a happening venue down here,” said Alverson.
Short Street business owner Bob Estes agrees. In 2011, he bought abandoned former law offices and converted them into the Prohibition-themed bar and restaurant Parlay Social. The historic building, set in the center of a now-bustling downtown row, proved to be the perfect combination for his vision of a place for professionals to imbibe.
“The façade of the building was completed in 1889 – it has beautiful artisan work,” Estes said. “Stonemasons [like the ones] back in those days are a lost art now.”
In 2013, Estes bought Shorty’s, a deli and market a few doors down from Parlay that was set to close its doors for good. He has since improved the interior of the former bank building, added a tap room and reopened the market, which has always been a weekly convenience for him as a Short Street business owner and resident.
“It’s one of the few groceries in the state where you can have a beer while shopping,” he said.
An eight-ton bank vault in the back – which has been used by four banks over the course of time – is now used as a freezer; recently, when excavating the basement of Parlay for a future speakeasy bar, Estes found artifacts from an old barber shop that used to be there.
These remnants from the past add to the charm of the buildings and are a reminder of the district’s storied past.
“Short Street has always been a street of commerce,” said Estes, citing old photographs showing historic Model T’s and delivery trucks along the street. Today, the district continues to thrive, blending history with modernity. Between Limestone and Broadway sits Cheapside Bar and Grill with its lively patio and live music stage; the modern elegance of Table 310 and Dudley’s on Short; the upscale-casual gastropub Village Idiot (located in the building that served as Lexington’s first post office, formerly the fine-dining restaurant Metropol); The Clock Shop with its unique exterior and magical inside; a feeling of time travel courtesy of Parlay Social and Shakespeare and Co.; and the sight of modern art in the two new PRHBTN murals along the street.
“We’ve experienced a renaissance on Short Street in the past four years,” Estes said. “You can take a chance downtown again, experience urban settings and urban lifestyles.” cc