In another indication of growing economic momentum in Portland's emerging warehouse district, Heine Brothers' Coffee announced on Monday it is renovating a 100-year-old building on 13th and West Main Street to house its headquarters.
The coffee company, which has 13 locations, will house its corporate offices, roastery and training operations in the facility at 1301 W. Main St. It said 15 employees would work there.
Heine Brothers', which sells organic and fair trade coffee, will also lease space in the 40,000-square-foot warehouse. Its target opening is late this summer.
The company is looking to piggyback on the planned expansion of Waterfront Park westward, as well as other recent additions to the northern edge of West Louisville.
“There is a lot of momentum on the west side of Ninth Street, and as a local company we see an opportunity to make a positive impact on the neighborhood,” said Heine Brothers’ President Mike Mays in a news release. “To be in a beautiful building believed to be the city’s first steel beam warehouse constructed right after the turn of the century is another big draw."
Portland, a historically working class neighborhood, has seen a mini-boom of new investment in recent years.
Developer Gill Holland, whose vision and investment sparked the NuLu redevelopment years ago, has been leading a group of investors buying and converting warehouses in Portland. The Tim Faulkner Gallery and Louisville Visual Art were early adopters in the push to bring more arts-based businesses to the area.
Holland has also spearheaded an initiative to revitalize shotgun houses in the neighborhood. According to U.S. Census figures, more than 40 percent of Portland's 11,000 residents live below the federal poverty line.
