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West Louisville development boom helps boosts traffic to local stores

The latest West Louisville business opening is bringing more people close to well-established staples on the block.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Near the West Broadway Kroger and Norton's new hospital, business boomed at Popeyes during its first week. The Cajun chain restaurant officially opened Monday.

"This is gonna be my spot from here on out," Anthony Mask said.

Piling inside for a lunch rush that had vehicles wrapped around the building, Anthony and Shonda Mask were excited for the new business. It's the eighth Kentuckiana location for Popeyes.

"I've lived here my whole life," Shonda said. "And it's a good thing, having something different. It's always good to have something different. It brightens up the neighborhood."

The Masks said with the businesses moving into the area, that the West End is getting better — but it's been better for awhile; Better Days Records West has been in the neighborhood for over 40 years.

Credit: Emma Gefter, WHAS11
The Popeyes on West Broadway, with Kroger and the Goodwill Opportunity Campus / Norton Hospital in the distance.

"They still want vintage Diana Ross, they still want Smokey Robinson, they still want Sade," Owner Ben Jones said, strolling through aisles of CDs.

He took over the Lyle's Mall spot in the 80s. Stefon Sands remembers riding his bike over for a new Master P tape in the 90s.

"And got in trouble for it, so yeah. That's one of the first times I remember coming in here," Sands said. "Because I'm still friends with the guy I rode the bikes over here with to this day." 

Jones credits his longstanding success to his selection, claiming the largest collection of R&B and Gospel in the state. 

"We are the Ali of the music industry," he said. "Better Days has been around. We survived. It's been hard, and it's still hard, so we do need support. We definitely need the support. So I'm glad my west end is bringing more people. Good people make it work. It's real simple."

He hopes new customers will give soul records a spin, even if they come by for the soul food. 

A thriving business block — it's what the former Vice President of Goodwill Louisville, DeVone Holt, wanted out of the new Opportunity Campus.

"You're going to see other investments happen in West Louisville because of that big, bold investment on the corner of 28th and Broadway. That is inescapable for people who live in West Louisville," he said.

His community cornerstone plan is now one Goodwill hopes to replicate in other cities. 

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