Owners Confident As Marketplace Opens Downtown

An upscale grocery store and deli have opened in downtown Louisville, and its developers are hoping to start a trend of new businesses on 4th Street.The Theatre Square Marketplace has opened in the old Kentucky Theatre building north of Broadway. Another upscale grocer on Market Street closed last year due to lagging sales. Marketplace developer Eric Haner says he's not concerned about a lack of customers, given the marketplace's location near hotels and housing."There's a lot of people living in one area here. I know there's a lot of development projects going on in other parts of downtown, but people have been living here and really needing and craving someplace that they can go to do a little shopping, to get something to eat or just to sit back and relax and meet some friends," says Haner.A liquor store and coffee shop in the marketplace have each been open for more than a year. The building was developed with private funds and 140 thousand dollars from the city.