Louisville Mojo: New Fresh Market Raises the Standard

The mother of all upscale grocery stores is here at last, dear reader: there's a new Fresh Market at the corner of Brownsboro Road and Rudy Lane, and it simply has to be seen to be believed.

Having recently moved from Middletown to St. Matthews, I was concerned about where the nearest decent go-to grocery would be. The St. Matthews Kroger is a mess these days during a long ongoing renovation; the Wal-Mart "Neighborhood Market" here is surprisingly dumpy compared to the one we had in Middletown; and for some reason the prices at Doll's Market have shot up to impossibly absurd heights. Whole Foods is fantastic, of course, but there are many mundane food items on my day-to-day grocery list that I don't require be organic, gourmet, or imported from Madagascar. Rainbow Blossom is too much of an 80's-throwback "health food store" for my needs, and although I frequent Lotsa Pasta often, it's just too small to be one's primary grocery.

Apparently sensing that I was grieving from the loss of my beloved Fresh Market in Middletown, the universe decided to bring Fresh Market along to St. Matthews with me. Thanks, universe. That's another one I owe you.

And the new one is enormous - 24,000 square feet - looking to be almost three times the size of the old one. With all that space, there's even more room to roam with wider aisles and more modular presentation of the goods. I saw dozens of products never before seen at the Middletown location - or anywhere else, for that matter. I was excited as a coyote in a chicken coop as I kept spying intriguing new goodies and tossing them into my cart.

Of course, the beer aisle was one of the first places I gravitated to, and I'm pleased to report that it's quite deep and well stocked with a wide array, for the lout as well as the elite.

Someone clearly had a lot of fun with the areas on the giant shelf that looms over the entire perimeter - it's furnished in various ways like a theatre set, with a country kitchen, a library, and an office. It's strangely eerie but comforting to be shopping and then to look up and see this immaculately detailed replica of an old office that no one will ever use. (Or will they?)

According to their press release, they offer 30 varieties of freshly baked bread, 12 varieties of freshly baked pie, a full-service meat counter, fresh seafood, more than 200 imported and domestic cheeses and a produce department with more than 400 items.

As Sulu once muttered under the influence of alien spores, "It's paradise, Captain. Paradise."

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PhayBay mon feb 08 2010 at 8:12 am ·


	I was talking to a friend about this place! She couldn't say enough about it! I plan to check it out this week!!

Beverly Bartlett mon feb 08 2010 at 10:04 am ·


	I love the one in Middletown, but this sounds even better!

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blogs: J.S. Holland