While it’s been a few weeks since the Portland Festival in early June, you can’t help but still feel the buzz of energy and excitement, the result of an amazing community coming together. And while I did make a brief appearance at the event a couple years ago, this was the first time the Portland Museum and Portland Anchor set up a booth, and it was a wild whirlwind I won’t soon forget, and can’t wait to experience again next year.
Author: Elijah Humble
elijah.humble@portlandanchor.com
Portal Book Shop Set & Setting Adds Coffee Service
Portland’s bookstore Set & Setting has gotten an upgrade at 1512 Portland Ave., now serving locally brewed coffee! Also, get a list of the month’s upcoming concerts at PORTAL!
AMPED Tech and Learning Center Cultivates Opportunity at 17th and Market
Anyone who follows urban development in Louisville knows how difficult it is to get anything built, but that’s exactly what Dave Christopher, President and Founder of AMPED, did in November, with the opening of the new tech and learning center, an impressive nearly $10 million and 13,000 square-foot-three-story building taking over the block at 17th and Market Street.
Ithmah Coffee Roasters Moves Across Town to Portland Avenue
Donovan Talbott of Ithmah Coffee Roasters is continuing to fulfill wholesale orders of his flavor-optimized coffee from around the world from 2525 Portland Ave.
World Traveler Joins PNI Board and Makes Local Mark with Hand in Hand Ministries
Accepting a position on the Portland Now Inc. (PNI) board is just the next adventure for Caleb Brooks, a Portland resident of ten years and recent addition to the team at Hand in Hand Ministries at 518 North 26th Street in Portland.
Award-Winning Gin Distillery Coming to West Main Street
The 1300 block of West Main Street will get another boost when it becomes home to West End Gin by the end of 2026 into early 2027, according to business co-founder Dr. Dawn Wade. “The goal is to be producing everything in-house and employ West End residents,” she added.
Louisville Outreach for the Unsheltered (L.O.U.) Ready to Continue Serving Community in New Building
L.O.U. Executive Director David Smillie has been a veteran of street outreach in Louisville for about eight years, meeting people where they are, connecting them with resources and providing a variety of support. L.O.U. has a new home right across the street from The Table at 1801 Portland Avenue with a mini clinic as well as a meeting room, kitchen space, and shower facility.
Nardie Enters the Workforce at Crittenden Drive International Harvester Plant
“We were making parts for John Deere, tractor parts, manifold parts. That’s when International Harvester had…remember the Scout? And they had Cub Cadet. So basically, in the foundry, it’s hot metal, you know, and we would do these molds. You add all these components to make the manifold. Once it goes down to the line, it goes down to the pour section. And then you got these guys that are basically pushing a dolly. It’s like a scooter, and it has a ladle. It’s got a ladle full of molten metal.”
FMS Leader Promotes Good Business with Canopy
For FMS president Scott Koloms, profitability and purpose don’t have to be opposing forces. During a leadership retreat he and his team determined that they wanted to formalize the idea that they truly cared about the people they work with and wanted to be more intentional about being mission and values driven.
Good Brothers Pharmacy Opens on West Market
After several years of obstacles and fundraising and multiple locations, lifelong friends Isiah Jones and DeShawn King – both of whom graduated from Central High School as well as Northern Kentucky University – finally achieved their goal of opening a pharmacy at 2306 West Market Street, with the intention of serving and providing care for West Louisville residents, including their own family members.