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.
Tag: Elijah Humble
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.
sonaBLAST! Record Label Embraces Local Talent, Has Roots In Portland
Jaxon Lee Swain has been a Portland resident since 2015, but he’s been working with sonaBLAST! Records since 2011, after a stint managing the local music section at beloved and departed Louisville record store Ear-X-Tacy for many years. When the shop closed, he asked if the label needed any help, and he’s been there ever since.
Rosetta Chapel Opens Its Doors to Spread Gospel of Music in Portland
For the past couple years, fans of independent and underground music from all over Louisville have discovered a hidden treasure near 20th and Main Street in Portland: the Rosetta Chapel, a performance space which has hosted dozens of bands of all varieties, and also happens to be the home of Daniel Barber, a multi-media sculpture artist. He started out having dance parties with his friends, and the scene organically expanded into serving as a home for live music. The home’s namesake, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, is the “godmother of rock and roll,” the gospel blues singer and guitar innovator from the 1930s and ‘40s who influenced the likes of Little Richard, Johnny Cash, Tina Turner and Elvis Presley. The striking mural on the side of the church was created by prominent local artist Damon Thompson, whose work can be found on urban spaces all over Louisville.
Brolly’s Bodega Opens on Griffiths
Portland residents bemoaning the lack of dining and grocery options in the neighborhood now have another location to try. Brolly’s Bodega, at 2441 Griffiths Avenue, opened in late July, offering up not only grocery items like chips and snacks, toiletry and cleaning items and school supplies, but also a full menu of burgers, wings and fries. And perhaps most significantly, aside from kitchen hours, Brolly’s will be open 24/7.
Nardie’s Education Continues at Now-Defunct Black Trade School
We pick up Nardie’s story as he graduates from Shawnee High School in 1970 (“which was 75% white” at the time, he said). He capitalized on a phenomenal scholarship opportunity to go to the West Kentucky Technical College in Paducah, where he lived in a dorm with around 500 other students.
Schoppenhorst Chapel Continues to Serve Portland Community After 100 Years
Readers of the Portland Anchor know the value and importance of the monthly obituaries. The warmth and humanity that these brief articles convey goes a long way towards demonstrating the pulse of a neighborhood, the deep bonds of generations of families and the unique details and personality traits that made someone’s life special. “It’s hard to summarize someone’s life in such a small snippet,” said pastor Joey Hightower, who serves part time at the Legacy Funeral Center Schoppenhorst Chapel at 1832 West Market Street. “It’s like going back in time, and it’s amazing to be part of such a rich history and staple in community for more than 100 years,” Joey said.
The Table Nears 10-Year Anniversary As Portland Community Cornerstone
For team members John and Tara, who have been with the Table from the beginning, serving amazing quality food at affordable prices is only a small part of the goal. With the ten-year anniversary coming up — surviving and thriving when many restaurants in Louisville have come and gone — when asked what they’ve learned over ten years, John first joked that “we’re hardheaded, so I don’t know if we’ve learned much,” but said in the end it all comes back to serving the community and helping others.