Kids these days will never understand the thrill of walking up to an ear-X-Tacy listening booth or riding the train around River Falls Mall. Join us in reminiscing over a few of the closed Louisville stores and businesses that remind us of simpler times.
ear-X-Tacy
ear-X-Tacy closed in 2011 after 26 years in business. Once a haven for music lovers looking for hard-to-find music and discover their next Indie favorites at the headphone-clad listening stations, this store is truly one of Louisville’s most beloved institutions. When you’re feeling nostalgic, you a visit the old store sign at Frazier History Museum as part of the “Cool Kentucky” exhibit.River Falls Mall Now a massive Bass Pro Shop, River Falls Mall was arguably the coolest place you could go as a ’90s kid. Countless field trips were spent at the food court, upstairs carnival and indoor train.Wild and Wooly VideoWild & Woolly Video was known for its selection of eclectic, cult films in a range of genres, from obscure horror films to foreign dramas. The shop closed on March 23 2015, the store’s 18th anniversary.Twice Told CoffeeTwice Told Coffee house was a delightful, smoke filled coffee house in The Highlands. Rumor has it My Morning Jacket played their first show there.Why LouisvilleQuirky gifts and fun oddities could always be found at this shop that closed in 2015. Fans of Why Louisville will love Lexington’s Kentucky Fun Mall.Toy TigerThe Toy Tiger was a rock & roll and general entertainment club that many of us thought was a store. (I mean, you get it, right?) It operated from 1973 to 1999 at the corner of Bardstown Road and Goldsmith Lane. While their wet t-shirt contests are now a thing of the past, if you’re lucky, you can find one of their t-shirts hanging around a local vintage shop.Hawley Cooke BooksThe cozy, quiet, independent book store had just about every book you could imagine. In 2003, they sold to Borders, but it’s okay, y’all. We’ll always have Carmichael’s.Cherry BombAhh, Cherry Bomb. If this former Bardstown Road boutique conjures up vivid memories of incense, you’re not alone. Known for their eclectic mix of new, vintage, and handmade items, dresses, and discounted American Apparel, they closed in late 2012.Red Giraffe Video StoreBefore Red Box, we had Red Giraffe, a video rental chain with its own cruise and regular car giveaways. Oh, the days.Bashford Manor MallBacon’s, Chi Chi’s and countless other gems were housed in Bashford Manor Mall, a treasured relic of Louisville’s past.Discovery ZoneWere you really a 90s kid if you didn’t have at least one birthday party at one of these massive indoor jungle gyms?Woolworths Woolworths was the kind of department store you’d see in an old movie with counter service, a soda fountain, gumballs and candy that only cost a quarter. They went out of business in 1997.Bacon’sBefore it closed, Bacon’s was Kentucky’s oldest department store, and got its start in Louisville. It was bought by Dillards in 1998.Something to DoAnother store that didn’t quite make it into the ‘20s with us, but will stay forever in our hearts.
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Sydney is a native Louisvillian who spent her twenties in Los Angeles working in Hollywood. When off duty, she blogs about her adventures at Sydney to Anywhere. An avid explorer, the only thing she loves...
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