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The Louisville Independent Business Alliance (LIBA) will kick off “Independent’s Month” with a special event on Monday, July 6th from 5:00pm-8:00pm at Iroquois Amphitheater. The celebration precedes the July installment of Free Movie Nights at the Amphitheater, so attendees can stay and enjoy a free screening of “Muppets Most Wanted”. LIBA’s Independent’s Month Celebration is a free, family-friendly event and will include:
- Live Music by Nick Peay Band
- Khalil’s
- POLLO – a gourmet chicken joint
- V-Grits Food Truck
- Kentucky Science Center
- Bluegrass Indoor Karting
- Bohemian Monkey (face painting and henna)
- Jefferson Memorial Forest/Go Ape
- White Raven Spa
- Good Garbage, LLC
- Body Center Healing
LIBA will also be making a very special announcement that night, so attendees will get to hear the news before it is officially announced on the following day.
In an ongoing effort to “Keep Louisville Weird” for more than 10 years, the Louisville Independent Business Alliance declares July as “Independents Month” and invites the publicto celebrate the city’s independent businesses throughout the month. The goal of this campaign is to create awareness around the fact that purchasing goods and services from a locally owned store keeps more money circulating in our local economy and supports the businesses that make Louisville “weird” and unique.
The members-only wholesaler Costco will be adding a second Louisville location, according to plans submitted to the Metro Government. The 153,000 square foot members-only retail warehouse will be built on the 17 ¾ acre lot at 3408 Bardstown Road – the vacant site of the former Showcase Cinemas.
The project, which will supplement their existing location at 5020 Norton Healthcare Blvd will also will include a tire center and a freestanding gas station.
The expansion provides additional competition for Walmart sister company Sam’s Club, which currently operates two members-only warehouse shopping centers in Louisville, another in Clarksville, Indiana, and a fourth in Elizabethtown.
Event designed to give an overview of South Louisville for Leadership Louisville center alumni and independent business owners
LIBA is partnering with the Leadership Louisville Center with support from the Dixie Area and South Louisville Business Associations to present the Meet South Louisville Bus Tour, highlighting many of the significant and unique things happening in this area of Louisville. The bus tour will be held on Wednesday, April 1st and start at with a light breakfast at the University Club before departure, then cover points of interest like the Iroquois Amphitheater/Colonial Gardens, Fairdale Roundabout and many more along the way, with a stop at the breathtaking new Southwest Louisville Regional Library. (The bus tour will adjourn back at the University Club at 11am.)
In May of 2013, the Louisville Independent Business Alliance teamed up with Metro government, leaders from the Southwest Dream Team and other area groups to launch the ‘keep South Louisville weird’ campaign, which is much more than a slogan. The group has conducted and analyzed studies, gathered facts, and started education efforts so that area residents know why it’s important to support independent businesses.
South Louisville residents and council members have expressed interest in having more independent businesses, citing the proportion of chain businesses to independents. Presenters for this tour will include Councilmen Rick Blackwell and David Yates, Barbara Nichols of the South Louisville Business Association, Vince Jarboe of the Southwest Dream Team, Bennett Knox of the South Points Scenic Area and Jefferson Memorial Forest, June Meredith of the Dixie Area Business Association, Rebecca Maddox of the Southwest Regional Library and Jennifer Rubenstein of LIBA.
For more information on the “Keep Louisville Weird” and “Keep South Louisville Weird” campaigns, visit www.keeplouisvilleweird.com. Continue reading
The Louisville Independent Business Alliance (LIBA) will host the 7th Annual Buy Local Fair Sunday, May 17, 2015, at The Water Tower Park from 12:00pm – 6:00pm.The fair will feature a marketplace of local businesses, musicians, artist and craftspeople, chefs, community organizations, and farmers. All locally-owned, independent businesses and individuals (especially those specializing in locally crafted goods, prepared foods and concessions) are encouraged to participate as Buy Local Fair vendors.
Vender applications and registration forms are available at www.keeplouisvilleweird.com/
The event will include concerts, an Iron Chef-style competition, food and retail vendors, a craft beer tent, and a children’s area sponsored by Louisville Water Company.
Contact Kristen at kristen@keeplouisvilleweird.
The mission of the Buy Local Fair is to provide a venue that fosters cooperation, cross-pollination and strength in numbers for locally-owned, independent entities. By bringing together customers of various businesses, farms, craftspeople and bands unique to the Louisville-area, we expose a variety of endeavors to new audiences and increase business for all.
The 2015 Consumer Electronics Show, or CES, kicks off this week in Las Vegas
Running from Tuesday, January 6, through Friday, January 9, the 2015 CES showcases the latest tech trends on the market, as well as those that will be coming soon.
More than 160,000 attendees will be walking over 2 million square feet of exhibit space to visit with nearly 4,000 exhibitors and learn about the gadgets that will be making our life easier. This is also the place for product launches – with tens of thousands of new product announcements being made for everything from the biggest, sharpest, and curviest new televisions to the smallest and smartest devices.
Continuing to be a popular category, wearable tech will be big this year, as will be connected tech in the automotive industry. The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) has announced that the 2015 International CES will feature the largest ever showcase of products, services and technologies that make up the “Internet of Things” (IoT), with more than 900 exhibitors planning to share innovations that harness the power of the network to connect everyday devices.
“The ‘Internet of Things’ is the hottest topic in tech right now,” said Karen Chupka, senior vice president, International CES and corporate business strategy, CEA. “It’s all about the opportunity to connect everyday items like cars, home security systems and kitchen appliances to networked devices like PCs and smartphones for greater control and management of our everyday lives. We’re excited that the 2015 CES will bring together all of the companies and products that are making this a reality.”
Louisville Dispatch staff will be on hand at the 2015 CES to share the hottest new devices with you.
Frankfort Avenue will host a special Holiday Hop on Black Friday, November 28th. Trolleys will run extended hours from 10:00am-10:00pm to encourage hoppers to spend the day eating, drinking and shopping along the Avenue. Free trolleys will run along Frankfort Avenue from Cannons Lane to River Road, and many businesses will host music, refreshments and special sales. For more information, visitwww.fatfridayhop.org.
Special activities planned for the Black Friday Holiday Hop on November 28th include:
- The Wine Rack, 2632 Frankfort Avenue, will host a Black Friday sale where a selection of wine and spirits will be marked 25% off, as well as a wine and cheese sampling from 5:00pm-8:00pm.
- Mellwood Art Center, 1860 Mellwood Avenue, will host a $21 & Under Sale where shops and studios will offer deals for $21 or less. The 2015 Gallopalooza statues will also be showcased during the Hop.
- Urban Farmhouse Market, 2830 Frankfort Avenue, will give a free Fleur de Lis ornament to the first 30 customers who make a purchase.
- Copper & Kings, 111 East Washington Street, will host tours of the facility and the retail shop will be open until 9:00pm.
- Surroundings LLC, 2033 Frankfort Avenue, will offer 20% off everything in the store and 40% off select art.
- BAZ and BEA, 1860 Mellwood Avenue #175, will host their annual Black and White Sale where all black and white apparel and accessories are 10% off, and all customers will be entered to win a $50 gift certificate to BAZ and BEA.
- Consider Boutique, 107 S. Bayly Avenue, will serve hot holiday cider and cookies.
- Heine Brothers, 2714 Frankfort Avenue, will offer $1 off all holiday seasonal drinks.
- Vint, 2309 Frankfort Avenue, will offer $1 off all holiday seasonal drinks.
- Lexie’s Trading Post, 2224 Frankfort Avenue, will give all customers who spend $50 a $10 gift certificate valid from Dec. 1, 2014 – Feb. 28, 2015.
- Margaret’s Consignment, located at 2700 Frankfort Avenue, will host a tarot card reader and photos with Santa & Rudolph from 4:00pm-8:00pm.
- The Irish Rover, 2319 Frankfort Avenue, will host a Traditional Irish Music Seisuin (informal jam session) in the bar area beginning at approximately 8:00pm.
- Varanese Restaurant, 2106 Frankfort Avenue, will host drink specials and live jazz music.
The FAT Friday Trolley Hop, held year-round on the final Friday of every month, provides free parking and trolley transportation from TARC to participating shops, restaurants and galleries. The route runs along Frankfort, Mellwood and Story Avenue from Cannons Lane to River Road. The trolley program relies on the support of member businesses to cover the cost of the free public trolley service.
The FAT Friday Trolley Hop Program is sponsored by 9th District Councilwoman Tina Ward-Pugh, 15Thousands Farmers, A Reader’s Corner Bookstore, Architype Gallery, BAZ and BEA, Clifton Center, The Comfy Cow, Consider Boutique, Copper and Kings, Core Fluency Pilates, Crescent Hill Radio, Craft House, Eclipse Bank, El Mundo, eyedia, Fierce Salon, Frankfort Avenue Beer Depot, Gallery K, Heine Brothers’ Coffee, The Irish Rover, Just Creations, Lexie’s Trading Post, Louisville Water Company, Maker’s Mark, Margaret’s Consignment, Mellwood Art Center, Modern Cult Records, Porcini, Property Management of Louisville, Surroundings LLC, Sweet Surrender, The Tangerine Closet, The Urban Farmhouse Market, Third Lutheran Church, Varanese, Vint, Waterside at RiverPark Place, and The Wine Rack.
About The Frankfort Avenue Business Association
The Frankfort Avenue Business Association’s (FABA) mission is to enhance The Avenue as a place to do business and work to stimulate economic development along the business corridor. In addition, FABA acts as an advocate for solutions when issues emerge in the community and helps keep The Avenue looking its best through clean-up and landscaping programs. For more information, pick up a map of The Avenue at any member business or visit www.frankfortave.com. Follow us on Facebook/FrankfortAvenueand Twitter and on FAT Friday Facebook and Instagram @fatfridaytrolley.
In celebration of Small Business Saturday and the dozens of locally owned businesses in the area, Frankfort Avenue will host “Shop Small on the Avenue” from Friday, November 28th through Sunday, November 30th. Fourteen local eateries and retailers have donated items for the contest, and the items will be displayed at each of their locations. Items range from a $50 North End Café gift certificate to a handmade scarf worth $120. Shoppers can pick up a contest form at any of the participating businesses, and every time they make a purchase at a participating business they will get a stamp. Once three stamps have been collected, shoppers can drop off their contest form at the business whose prize they want to win.
The fourteen participating businesses and items up for are grabs are:
- Crescent Hill Trading Company – Gift Certificate & vintage jewelry
- The Comfy Cow – a Handcrafted Custom Made Ice Cream Pie
- Consider Boutique – Locally hand felted/dyed scarf, retailing at $120
- Lexie’s Trading Post – a gift basket with goodies worth $50
- Nancy’s Bagel Grounds – a free dozen every month for a year
- Carmichael’s Bookstore – a tote bag full of books
- Just Creations – $30 fair trade gift bag
- Redefine Design on the Avenue – Custom designed Christmas wreath (up to $100)
- Crave Cafe – $25 gift card
- North End Cafe – $50 gift card
- Sister Dragonfly – Scarf, gloves, and $20 gift certificate
- Surroundings – Collection of goat milk soaps, natural sponge worth $30
- Margaret’s Consignment – $25 gift certificate
- At Home on the Avenue – hand-poured soy candle in vintage container worth $40
Drawings will be held Monday, Dec. 1st and the winners will be notified by the end of that day. Shoppers can enter as many times as they like, provided they make purchases at new shops and collect a new passport. For more information, call Corin at Carmichael’s Bookstore at 502.896.6950.
About the Frankfort Avenue Business Association
The Frankfort Avenue Business Association’s (FABA) mission is to enhance The Avenue as a place to do business and work to stimulate economic development along the business corridor. In addition, FABA acts as an advocate for solutions when issues emerge in the community and helps keep The Avenue looking its best through clean-up and landscaping programs. For more information, pick up a map of The Avenue at any member business or visit www.frankfortave.com.
