Julietta Market, housed within Greyline Station, is home to a diverse collection of shops and services. Photo by Emily Giancarlo
After close to three years of planning and construction, Greyline Station officially opened for business a year ago. An ambitious project consisting of retail and food establishments, office spaces and an event venue located in a revitalized historic bus station, this new anchor on the north side of Lexington is also the home of the Julietta Market – an assortment of kiosks providing everything from work by local artists, hand-poured candles, and fashion and beauty products to fresh produce, gourmet snacks and cooking spices as well as barbering and massage services.
Julietta Market, operated by the North Limestone Community Development Corporation (NoLi CDC), is named for late Lexington activist Julie Etta Lewis, a civil rights activist who was a leader in the fight to desegregate education, entertainment and public transportation. NoLi CDC established the project to provide neighborhood residents a space to create and explore business ideas.
“What people may not know is that it’s a business incubator,” explained Andrea James, who is serving as the interim director of NoLi CDC. “Though there are some businesses that appear to be pretty established, those are looking at new markets – new customer bases, new client bases – or they are trying something new. Where before they may have been doing online sales, now they are doing more one-on-ones and interacting with customers, which gives you a whole different feel about your product and services. For some people, this is the first time they have ever sold their creation[s] to the public.”
James continued, “For example, you have someone like Angela King who runs High Maintenance – a line of body scrubs and beauty products – and this is her first venture into a space like this. She was one of the first people to come on board.”
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Taji Wadkins and Maya McCutchen are owners of The Salad Bar, which offers fresh healthy meal options for patrons of Greyline Station / Julietta Market. Photo by Emily Giancarlo
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Lorenzo Busalacchi is the owner / baker at Tratti di Busalacchi, a new Italian bakery offering a variety of Italian cookies. Photo Emily Giancarlo
One of Julietta Market’s newest additions is House of Mariley, owned by sustainable fashion designer Karmari Boyd. Boyd’s creations are unique, in that she up-cycles clothing using her own patterns, but offers most of her creations unfinished to allow for custom changes – which she completes on-demand with her on-site sewing machine.
“A lot of the jackets are left unfinished because some people may want to change up the design, like moving a patch from the front to the back,” she said. “It’s a canvas that lets you design and be a part of the product.” Boyd’s on-site, custom alterations also include dropping the hem on a pair of pants or taking a shirt in.
Boyd’s mother had encouraged her to set up shop in the Julietta Market, but she had hesitated until hosting a two-day pop-up shop, which went so well she decided to move in shortly after. She officially opened her kiosk in early October.
“I realized I’d never know for sure if I would succeed until I tried. I’m glad I made the decision to come here. It’s a great opportunity,” Boyd said.
While originally thought to be a place where entrepreneurs could test the waters and grow to a point where they leave the market, James is seeing things developing differently.
“Many of our strongest vendors are saying that they feel like they need to be here for two to three years before being ready to step out into their own space. I thought that would be shorter, but the intensity of the support they need and getting those resources to them while they are developing their customer base is of great value, and they want to be here even longer,” she explained.
“We are going to see businesses that never want to leave, ever, because not only is the rent rate good, it’s the family, it’s the community, it’s someone looking out for your space when you aren’t there and when you are there you have that fellowship with others,” she continued.
Many of the Julietta Market vendors have full-time jobs elsewhere, she added, and aren’t able to focus on their market businesses seven days a week.
“We have to start challenging what we believe success is for businesses,” James said. “As more minority-owned businesses, women-owned businesses and hybrid-type businesses develop, we have to start reimagining what that scale looks like and understand that it’s more individual than anything.”
Outside of Julietta Market, which is situated in the center of Greyline Station, the establishment is also the home to a number of other retail and food vendors that operate independent suites that circle the open space where the market resides.
One of these businesses is Poppy & Pomelo, a boutique that specializes in sustainable and fair trade products from socially conscious companies and stocks clothing and accessories, home decor, art and a variety of gift items. Owner Kami Risk worked in the travel industry for nearly 20 years and brought that experience to her new endeavor.
“I’ve had the privilege of visiting a lot of different countries on my travels, and I would always find unique gifts to bring back to my family,” she said. “I loved that part of it.”
Risk – whose husband is one of the owners of Old North Bar, also located in Greyline Station – opened her shop specifically because of the location.
“A few years ago, when our friend Chad Needham started working on this project, we randomly stopped by to see the space. I went home and said to my husband, ‘I think I’m going to open a shop!’ I was passionate about doing it and being part of this community,” she said.
“Though some businesses were established before Greyline Station opened, a lot of us are new. I work with a lot of different businesses here to cross-promote. I love being a part of the community here, and a contribution I can make to it is to help coordinate getting the word out about what is happening here and help plan fun things like giveaways involving other vendors,” she continued. “The end result is that more people learn about everything that is available here.”
One of her favorite parts of spending her days at Greyline Station is the stories. “I get so many people who grew up in this community coming in, and they’ll tell me what they remember this building being. I’ve heard everything from people coming in here to skate to people living upstairs to it being a kitchen cabinet store,” Risk said.
One of the previously established businesses that made a move to Greyline Station is Forage, a plant shop that had been located in a smaller space just across the street. The move allowed for a much larger space, which allowed for the addition of sister shop Koko – a shop that specializes in sustainable home, personal care and apothecary products. Koko features a “refillery,” where customers can refill their own containers (or sustainable containers purchased at the shop) with bulk supply of personal products like shampoo and lotion, and cleaning products such as laundry powder or dish soap.
“We know that sustainability can’t be one-size-fits-all and we want it to be approachable and as affordable as it can be,” said Koko manager Sunshine Randolph. “We want everyone to do what makes sense for them and their budget. One of the reasons that people don’t commit to sustainable lifestyles is because it seems like you have to be perfect or you can’t do it.”
Forage manager Jenny Disponette echoed Randolph’s sentiments. “Plants are a hobby, and you don’t have to be perfect. We try to have a variety of plants that require all types of care, and are here to help. We want to make adding some green to your living space as obtainable as possible.”
Randolph and Disponette both enjoy the camaraderie at Greyline Station and working with Greyline and Julietta Market vendors, and appreciate the personal touches that so many of the vendors provide.
Randolph explained, “There’s a one-on-one touch that you don’t get in other places. You can go to a large bookstore and buy a book. But when I bought a book at [Julietta Market vendor] Bottle Rocket Books, she hand-wrapped the book for me and delivered it, and she wrote me a nice note – that’s just not what I’m going to get somewhere else.”
Looking ahead, they are excited about the possibilities for more collaboration through in-store pop-ups, cross-promotions and collaborating for events such as the newly established monthly block parties. And like everyone else, it’s really the people who make being a part of Greyline Station so amazing.
“I get to meet so many new people that I never would have had the honor of meeting,” Disponette said.
Randolph added, “I get to see a different kind of food, a different kind of craft or vendor item, whatever it may be. We’re building a community that doesn’t feel exclusive.”
And for those considering establishing a business at Greyline Station or the Julietta Market, or those who just want to visit, all of the proprietors seem to feel the same way. Randolph said it best when she said, “You can instantly be a part of something bigger than yourself, which I think is really special.”
Koko manager Sunshine Randolph (left) and Forage manager Jenny Disponette (right) work together in the dual-business concept, which has evolved from a houseplant shop into a shop that also carries eco-friendly toiletries, cleaning products and more. The shop is located inside Greyline Station. Photo by Emily Giancarlo