Shelbyville Ky Road Trip

This past weekend I drove over to Shelbyville, Kentucky, located 30 minutes on the other side of Louisville. This two and a half drive is an easy trip. However, they are on the wrong time an hour ahead of me so to attend a class starting at 9 am would have made me getting up way too early. So I decided to go Saturday night, which gave me time to find the location of the Sunday class at Making Ends Meet and explore this town.

After finding where Jane LaFazio’s Sketching and Watercolor Class would be held, I checked out a local consignment shop, the Polka Dotted Pineapple.

This is an upscale consignment store with lots of name brands. They had a great selection of beautiful clothing including jackets – some to die for – from Chico.  I found the prices to be really reasonable and some were even on sale. I loved how they had arranged most of their clothing by color. They also had a large selection of sizes. Of course, I ended up with a couple pieces to add to my wardrobe.

But more than the clothes, I really liked the couple who own the store. Unfortunately I did not get a picture of them or their names, but I learned that they started the business a year ago September. He retired from construction and she had worked in retail. Even though I walked in 20 minutes before closing, they told me to take my time. If you are looking for nice nearly new clothing, check out this sweet shop. I’ll be checking in again with them the next time I’m in the area.

They also gave me a wonderful suggestion for dinner, the Bell House Restaurant just down the street.

This house was built in 1902 for Dr. and Mrs. E. B. Smith. Ownership changed over the years and in 2007 the house was purchased and restored by Bob and Sue Andriot who opened it as a restaurant in 2009. The bell, currently in the front yard, was made by William Kaye & Co. in Louisville, Kentucky in the mid-1800s. It began as the city fire bell which sat on top of the firehouse in the town square. The bell is rung daily to celebrate the joy of delicious food. And the food was yummy!

When the waitress brought out my dish, I wished I had my camera. It was really too pretty to eat. But I did! The Chipotle Shrimp and Mango Salad included sauteed shrimp with a sweet and savory chipotle rub on a bed of mixed greens with feta cheese, fresh mango salsa, a smooth hummus dressing and toasted flat bread points. Yum! And to top off this feast I enjoyed a piece of their coconut cream pie. All of their food is made from scratch including the desserts. The service was great and I loved the homey atmosphere. This is definitely a place I will go again next time I’m in the area.

But the reason I went to Shelbyville was to take Jane’s sketching class. The shop that sponsored the class, Making Ends Meet, sells bolts and bolts of fabric from chennile, tapestry, micro and ultra suede to indoor and outdoor, and all kinds of trim. But what I loved were their Studio products. These included all kinds of batiks, fibers, jewelry findings and tools, and mixed media stuff. Some of these goodies I’ve only seen on the internet. My pictures don’t do the place justice.

Here are a couple of the goodies I brought home – some fiber and material pieces.

Ooh, la, la! Well, more to this story but that will be my next post. Hope to see you then.