The establishment is a combination pizza place and grocery store, aiming to feed local residents with ingredients sourced from local farmers.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A Frankfort business is considering relocating to Louisville at the intersection of Logan Street and Broadway, and the company founded in 1863 as Epping Soda Bottling Company could be a healthier option going forward.
Birch Bragg, co-owner of Locals Food Hub and Pizza Pub, said his concept will include locally sourced, wood-fired pizza, salads, appetizers and counter service.
The establishment is a combination pizza place and grocery store, aiming to provide food from local farmers to the residents of the Smoketown neighborhood.
“We intentionally put the food hub at the top and the pizza pub at the bottom because at the end of the day the food hub is our ultimate goal. We want to be a place that is dedicated to providing nutritious, clean food to those who need it most,” Burch said.
Locals Food Hub and Pizza Pub is funded in part by a $200,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which will help cover the costs of some of the ways the business hopes to save customers money, such as accepting SNAP and matching what people spend when using those benefits.
Grocery store inventory is limited to what is grown seasonally in the state, so you won’t find watermelon in January.
This reflects how the building’s architect, Terry Zink, has handled the space’s steel and brick framework.
“Both were born from the idea of going back to simple, real ingredients,” Zink said.
The conversion of the old building gave the space character, including a huge vault, an unopened wall safe, and an old gas station sign showing what the room once looked like outside. A drop ceiling covered the skylights above until demolition began.
Now, new light is shining on the new store, and they hope to continue the success of the Frankfort store, which just celebrated its three-year anniversary on July 21st.
“In that time, we’ve raised nearly $1.2 million from 164 farms in 42 counties,” Bragg said, “so we’re doing a really good job in terms of the impact on farms.”
They hope to expand their impact through the Louisville store by bringing fresh food to neighborhoods that struggle to find a grocery store that’s rooted in their community.
Make it easy to stay up to date on more stories like this: Download the WHAS11 News App now for Apple or Android users.
Have a news tip? Email assign@whas11.com or visit our Facebook page. Twitter Feed.
