By Steve Flairty
NKyTribune columnist
Sharing my fondness for taking Kentucky day trips, my wife, Suzanne, had been mentioning downtown Taylorsville, 54 miles from our home in Versailles, as a place to visit for the first time. So, this past Saturday would be the day.
Choosing from several possibilities, we decided on the Bluegrass Parkway route and traveled to Bloomfield, locating us about ten miles away from Taylorsville while driving on KY-55. Bloomfield certainly has its own quaint charm, and we occasionally eat there at Hometown Pizza, then indulge with an ice cream cone across the street at The Double Dip.
But on this pretty summer day, we passed through Bloomfield and headed onto the winding, but well-kept highway toward downtown Taylorsville. (A trip to the nearby Taylorsville Lake State Park will, perhaps, be one for another day.) We took our time and arrived about 20 minutes later.
The first thing we observed on Main Street was the cleanliness. There were no trash or overflowing receptacles visible. That positive note said a lot and put us in an optimistic mood.
But what really captured us after parking and setting out on an informal, self-guided tour, was the amazing friendliness of the townsfolk, and that became the theme of our day. Example after example appeared, and Suzanne and I began reacting wide-eyed gleam.
We began our tour by dropping in at Taylorsville Treasures, a storehouse of thousands of items that you might find at a good yard sale, organized neatly and thoughtfully in a sizeable building. We were greeted by the proprietor, Jason, who offered his help and quickly responded to our question about a good place to eat in town. That would be The Tea Cup, a place where, he said, “the food is real good but they don’t take a card, just cash or check.”
At our age and in down-sizing mode, we didn’t find anything we needed at the store, but we had a pleasant talk with Jason before departing. He shared that he grew up in Louisville, but “loves it here in Taylorsville” and you got the impression that he’ll stay around the community for a long time. Graciously, he recommended stopping by The Red Scooter next door, a fairly large two-story antique store.
Friendly, hospitable Taylorsville, it appeared… and off to The Red Scooter.
Entering the store, we were greeted enthusiastically by a white-haired, mature-aged woman at the sales desk. Next to the desk stood a pot with the largest geranium I’ve ever seen. Standing in an already tall pot, the plant was probably up to my shoulders in height. Next to it was another large plant looking to me like a cactus, also of good height. The plants seemed to smile at us and say: “Come on in!”
Walking around the corner to look at antique displays, two women shoppers engaged us in conversation about the items for sale, and we eventually mentioned our beloved hometown antique store, Marketplace on Main, in downtown Versailles. And though, again, we were browsers and not buyers at the store, we were uplifted by interacting with the people we met.
Along with staff members, the business customers — and even the plants — in Taylorsville are an amiable lot.
We had arrived around noon, so Suzanne and I were already hungry and the restaurant Jason referenced sounded good. We walked across Main Street and, approaching the The Tea Cup door, a man and woman, perhaps in their late thirties with a locals’ appearance about them, followed us. I turned and casually asked: “Is the food good here?”
Both raved about the offerings, and as we walked toward the counter, the woman volunteered information about various menu items she liked and the ordering process, along with other tidbits about The Teacup. A senior citizen gentleman, perhaps the owner, took our order at the cash register, politely (as we expected) giving us our choice of paying then or waiting until we got our food.
We found a seat in a small room featuring a large picture window. Within a few minutes a brawny young man of high school age brought our orders, then quickly asked if he could get anything else for us. As we ate, he came back to check on us several times, and finally I requested more water. Funny, but he appeared to be a boy who you’d expect would know his way around a farm more so than serving people in a restaurant. He served us well and, as usual in Taylorsville, was so unabashedly friendly and helpful.
Just when we thought the socially good vibes would end (law of averages, you know), we finished our leisurely lunch at The Tea Cup. Immediately, after walking out the door, a tanned, stocky man, probably about 80, approached us smiling, and kindly asked: “Did you know that this place used to be a gas station? When I was a little fellow, in the early 1960s, I used to work at it.”
After some brief pleasantries, we engaged in conversation with Roy McCarty and the couple we previously met, who joined us outside. We learned that the couple’s son, a surprise to us, was our server, and that the couple ate there frequently. You might say that they and Roy acted like informal Chamber of Commerce ambassadors for Taylorsville. We learned about their Spencer County basketball tournament team, the annual antique car show, and the downtown history of Taylorsville buildings. That, and they answered our curiosity questions.
Suzanne and I were marvelously welcomed in downtown Taylorsville. It was downtown, and it also felt like “hometown.”
We followed up later, with Suzanne’s coaxing, on a store recommended during our conversation at The Teacup. It’s the Heirloom Traditions Company Store, featuring its unique “All-in One Paint.” It’s located on the edge of town at 33 Progressive Drive, off Little Mount Road, a five-minute drive.
Entering Heirloom, we were struck by the pleasing aroma and appearance of the showroom—and a super nice person minding the store. She patiently answered my numerous questions (some people think I’m always doing an interview) about the store’s mission and history. Again, the Flairty couple was impressed by hospitality in the Taylorsville community.
I left store a minute or so before Suzanne, and I met a man walking in who smiled and said: “Hi. Nice store! Have you been here before? I like to come here when… ”
Yep, I have a sense that if Suzanne and I hadn’t moved onto the car, we’d STILL be standing there talking to the nice man. In the small town of Taylorsville, they raise ‘em friendly.