walkLEX: Shorty’s Cellar

Shorty's Cellar - Lexington, Ky.
Shorty’s Cellar – Lexington, Ky.

On May 1, Shorty’s opened on West Short Street hearkening the return of the downtown grocer to Lexington. During the course of the summer, I’ve been to Shorty’s Urban Market more frequently than I have been to Farmer’s Market (in other words, more than weekly).

So naturally I was excited to see that Shorty’s is expanding… sort of. But in compliance with state law, Shorty’s is not actually expanding. The Urban Market and the new Shorty’s Cellar 157 will have separate entrances.

With a scheduled opening of October 1, Shorty’s Cellar 157 will be the only wine and spirits shop in the downtown commercial historic district. (Other great wine shops, like Wine+Market, are already nearby.) Work has already begun on converting the first floor of the Messick Building – a ca. 1928 two-story, three-bay Neo-Classical commercial building – into a wine shop.

The current façade of 157 West Short Street will see its aluminum storefront replaced with a steel and glass frontage a la Shorty’s, and both an awning and blade sign will mark the location. Inside, “600 SF of reclaimed wood floors, exposed brick, and custom chandeliers and shelving.” Until then, mark October 1st on your calendar!

This post was updated on August 22, 2011 with the Shorty’s Cellar 157 logo and information about the Cellar’s interior.