Photo by Emily Giancarlo
After nearly three years of planning and renovations, a repurposed historic former bus station in Lexington’s north side will soon be bustling once again.
The first tenants of GreyLine Station – a large-scale, mixed-use retail, office and hospitality project on the corner of North Limestone and Loudon Avenue – began to open their doors to the public in November, with additional tenants slated to open in the weeks and months ahead.
The much-anticipated project, which also includes space and rental rates for nonprofits and small start-up businesses looking to grow, has been in the works for several years. As with many projects of this scale, the grand opening has been pushed back several times, due to construction setbacks and pandemic-related complications. But the wait is ending. GreyLine tenant Poppy & Pomelo, a new locally owned boutique specializing in unique Fair Trade items, officially opened its doors to the public on Nov. 10, with several other tenants expected to join it by year’s end.
Built in 1928, the 65,000-square-foot building that houses GreyLine originally served as the headquarters and bus station for Southeast Greyhound Lines and, more recently, as the headquarters and a maintenance repair facility for LexTran. LexTran sold the property to developer Needham Properties in 2018.
A major partner in the project is North Limestone Community Development Corporation (NoLi CDC), a nonprofit that was created in 2013 to cultivate new opportunities in Lexington’s Northside neighborhood. The organization will have a major presence in the space. In addition to moving its offices to GreyLine Station, the organization will also launch and manage the year-round Julietta Market, a multi-vendor market that takes up a large portion of the space.
Named after the late Lexington activist Julia Etta Lewis, Julietta Market will occupy about 23,000 square feet within GreyLine Station and will include 72 kiosks, eight food stalls, art exhibitions, shared meeting and kitchen spaces, a stage, play area and more. The project honors the spirit of Lewis, who was among the leaders in Lexington’s civil rights movement and also led the fight against segregation in education, entertainment, shopping, restaurants and public transportation.
Julietta Market will also include a year-round farmers’ market in conjunction with Black Soil, an organization with a mission to reconnect African Americans in Kentucky with their agricultural heritage and to help bring together urban families and farmers toward greater prosperity. The farmers’ market is slated for a soft opening on Small Business Saturday (Nov. 28), with year-round hours to pick up in early 2021.
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Leannia Haywood was hired this summer as director of small-business development for the Julietta Market. Photo by Emily Giancarlo
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Inside Julietta Market, a dedicated section in the center of GreyLine Station, more than 50 small businesses, non-profits and other entities will set up in kiosks. Photos by Emily Giancarlo
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Inside Julietta Market, a dedicated section in the center of GreyLine Station, more than 50 small businesses, non-profits and other entities will set up in kiosks. Photos by Emily Giancarlo
In June, NoLi CDC hired Leannia Haywood as director of small-business development to help grow the market and to support fledgling entrepreneurs through one-on-one consultations, group classes, small-business coaching, mentorship meetups and workshops. Prior to joining the NoLi CDC, Haywood was director of the Boys and Girls Club of America in Lovett, Texas, where she launched a youth entrepreneurship program. She later spent four years as executive director of Grace of Serenity Living in Phoenix, leading a youth entrepreneurship program there.
Haywood said that while the pandemic has brought more income insecurity and job loss, it has also presented a good opportunity for people of all ages to consider launching businesses of their own. One of NoLi CDC’s underlying goals with Julietta Market is to help nourish a culture of entrepreneurship in the North Lexington community.
“What we’re hoping is we’ll see more sustainability throughout this neighborhood,” Haywood said. “When you teach people how to support themselves, they in turn learn how to support others better.”
To help keep expenses low for vendors, NoLi CDC has launched a $25,000 crowdsourced fundraising campaign on the platform GoFundMe. Other funding sources include grants from the Knight Foundation, Snowy Owl Foundation and a matching grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Haywood said donations will also help fund Shares Community Kitchen. Set to open early next year, the commercial-grade, regulation-compliant kitchen can be rented for as little as $25 a day.
“That’s unheard of, but with the community’s support, we can do it, so no one is barred from their dream [of starting a food-based business],” Haywood said.
The initial culinary-based tenants that will occupy kiosks at Julietta Market include Inebriated Baker, a local start-up focusing on “boozy baked goods”; the gourmet caramel and candy apple company A Taste of Fall; and the popular local ice cream shop Sav’s Chill. A tattoo shop, handcrafted soap company, tarot booth and art galleries are among the other vendors confirmed for Julietta Market.
While “when will it open” has been a popular question regarding the market, the answer has remained a moving target as the construction and permitting processes wrap up and delays pend due to the pandemic. Le’She Robinson, who was hired as director of operations for Julietta Market, said the market was planning to open on Nov. 28, with limited hours (Fri.-Sun.) until mid-March, at which point they would reevaluate the hours. Plans for a grand opening/dedication ceremony have been scaled back, with a smaller-scale Winter Market in the space slated for Dec. 5.
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Dafri Studios, a gallery space for local artist Jason Thompson, is among the tenants at Julietta Market. Photos by Emily Giancarlo
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On the heels of its 5-year anniversary, Lexington community radio Station RadioLEX will move it's headquarters to GreyLine Station by the end of the year. Photos my Emily Giancarlo
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One of GreyLine's first tenants to open to the public, the new locally owned boutique Poppy & Pomelo opened its doors in early November. The shop features unique, Fair Trade gifts, accessories, baby and kids' items and home decor. Pictured here are owner Kami Rick (left) and employee Caitlyn Edwards. Photo by Emily Giancarlo
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GreyLine tenant Old North Bar, a new Lexington business, will feature a "sip and stroll" license, allowing patrons to purchase beverages to carry while exploring the market. Photo by Emily Giancarlo
As the many pieces of this multi-faceted project start to come to life, Needham reflected on the project, which he said is different than any other building he’s worked on during his career. As a business incubator, the site will continually evolve as expanding businesses envelop additional space, new businesses arrive and others relocate as their needs change.
“There’s an excitement and an energy in a space like GreyLine that brings so many small businesses together, for and with a community,” said Dayna De Leon, who will be helping oversee the opening of Forage and Koko, two sister businesses that focus on houseplants and sustainable, earth-friendly cleaning products and toiletries. In the spirit of community, the two businesses will share a space within GreyLine.
GreyLine Station “is a living, breathing thing – much bigger than the actual building,” Needham said. “The whole is much greater than its parts.”
According to Chad Needham, owner of Needham Properties, recent renovations have included a new roof; new plumbing, electric and climate-control systems; and replacing or repairing concrete and installing more than 3,500 new windows. A newly installed rainwater harvesting system captures runoff water from the roof and directs it to cisterns beneath the parking lot for reuse.
All told, the project represents a more than $5 million reinvestment in the community, said Needham, who also owns numerous other properties in the neighborhood.
“My desire to improve North Limestone and take the older buildings that are vacant and bring new life to them [has] always been an opportunity that inspires me,” he said.
Needham said the multi-faceted project has drawn strong interest from the community and reported in October that it was about two-thirds booked. The vendors constitute a melding of various concepts, with several culinary and hospitality businesses anchoring the south end of the building; a handful of retail vendors that can be accessed from both the exterior and interior of the building; office space for non-profits and other ventures; and at the center, a large open market with more than 50 kiosks for small businesses, artists, start-ups and more. Clerestory, a new 6,000-square-foot wedding-and-event venue in the space owned by event planner Shelley Fortune recently hosted its first events, and Lexington community radio station RadioLex is planning to move its headquarters and studio into GreyLine before the year’s end.
“The GreyLine project is going to be transformative for the community, providing space for grassroots entrepreneurs and small local businesses,” said Mark Royse, the station’s general manager. He said the move, which comes on the heels of the station’s five-year anniversary, will allow the station to double its space and offer expanded access to the public airwaves.
GREYLINE STATION
803 North Limestone St. • www.greylinestation.com
European-style bakery Laura Lou Patisserie was under construction in early November, slated to open by the end of the month. Photo by Emily Giancarlo
GreyLine Station is a multi-faceted concept featuring several stand-alone retail businesses, a handful of culinary/hospitality businesses that share a common sitting area, a large community marketplace featuring dozens of kiosks, a year-round farmers’ market, a shared community kitchen, a wedding-and-event venue, office space and more.
Many businesses are slated to open in time for Small Business Saturday (Nov. 28), with others to open on their own schedule in the coming weeks and months.
GreyLine tenants include:
• North Lime Coffee & Donuts, the popular coffee shop and bakery that is moving from its original North Limestone location
• Laura Lou Pâtisserie, a new European-style bakery that will feature a variety of baked goods
• Wilson’s Meat & Grocery, an offshoot of the popular Kenwick neighborhood market and deli
• Old North Bar, a casual neighborhood bar that will feature a “sip and stroll license” to allow patrons the option to purchase alcoholic beverages to carry while perusing other GreyLine businesses
• Nourished Folks, a café and meal prep service with a focus on wholesome food
• Forage and Koko, two sister businesses that will operate out of a shared space, featuring environmentally friendly cleaning products and toiletries, houseplants, home goods and more
• Poppy & Pomelo, a new locally owned boutique that offers unique small-batch and Fair-Trade gifts, accessories and household items
• Clerestory, an elegant and industrial wedding-and-event venue that can accommodate up to 400 people
• Julietta Market, a community market featuring more than 50 kiosks for small businesses and nonprofits, with tenants that include a tattoo parlor, tarot shop, several small culinary-based startups, handmade jewelry and other crafts, a year-round farmers’ market and more
• Shares Community Kitchen, a commercial-grade, community kitchen that culinary entrepreneurs can rent by the day
• RadioLEX, the offices and studio for Lexington’s community radio station