It’s Not Just Nostalgia. Lexington Needs Places Like The Parkette For the Future.

  The closing of the Parkette has devastated me. As a business owner, as a preservation enthusiast, as someone who has grown up completely enthralled with all things vintage and nostalgic, and most of all as someone born and raised in Lexington.  Although I don’t reside in Lexington today, I still consider it my home as I work there daily, most of my family and friends live there,  and it’s still where I spend most of my time.  My parents grew up there too and would tell me amazing stories of the places of the past, already gone, mostly downtown but throughout Lexington: Woolworth’s, Wolf Wiles, Purcell’s, Begley’s drugstores, just to name a few.   Thanks to them I grew up going to staples like Kelly’s on Southland Drive, Dawahares in Gardenside, the Kentucky theater, Slone’s Grocery, and countless more, and of course, the Parkette.  

I myself am 34 years old and the Parkette was always THE place my group of friends and I loved to go to dinner when everyone was in town, the spot my mom and I would frequent for lunch during a day of garage sales and thrifting on the north side of town, and a place I couldn’t wait to share with my 3-year old son, who’s just old enough that he would really enjoy the entire experience.

I’m not naive, I know change is inevitable and not everything can stay the same forever.  I do still believe though that we have done a horrible job of preservation in Lexington.  I’m not even speaking specifically to historic preservation, which is a whole other story, but mostly to those slightly later years that get pushed to the wayside as they aren’t quite historic. I’ll call it “nostalgic preservation.” I have a hard time coming up with more than a handful of places that are truly original Lexington landmarks at this point and still in business as their original entity.  I know that this can be for a number of reasons: not making enough revenue, buildings or property selling, estate changes after an owner passes away, just to name a few. But when I look to other cities, this just doesn’t happen at the rate it does here.  We seem to wipe them away without a trace or a second thought.  

I have immersed myself in articles and even some light Facebook stalking the last week, trying to find as much information as I could about the decision to close the Parkette and clarify all the conflicting information that was originally released.  Yet I’m still not satisfied with the answers I have found.  There is one particular quote that I can’t come to terms with from the property owner and founder’s family: “It’s just not a viable business (anymore).”  And I couldn’t disagree more.  

The truth is nostalgia is actually making a pretty big comeback in the marketing world right now.  The uncertainty and stress of the last few years has certainly led people to want to return to the more simple or comforting things of their past.  Vintage style is bigger than ever among Gen Z and the younger generations too- they are eating up and emulating all the clothes, music, movies, and all around culture of decades past.  With some revamped marketing and new ideas for frequent events, occasional specials or new menu items (while keeping all the staples), and a vibrant and current social media presence, I am positive the Parkette could be a thriving business and continue as a Lexington landmark for years to come.   Just writing this article I’ve come up with a handful of great event ideas that would get people through the doors, even during the slower winter months (who wouldn’t love some retro Santa photos at the Parkette, for example?).  This also wouldn’t even require having to change anything about the Parkette that makes it what we all love, and a lot of these changes wouldn’t cost a thing.  

Yes it’s true that maybe people speak more of their love for the Parkette than show it.  As the owner said “They don’t go, they just talk about how much they love it.”  That would be all the more reason to remind people why they love the Parkette and why they need to visit again through some simple marketing changes as mentioned above.  Keep the Parkette at the forefront of everyone’s mind, not just in the memories.  Make it relevant again and the must-see place to visit when coming to Lexington.

I cannot remain silent and let this sprawling, retro-dream of a Lexington landmark be demolished and turned into another lifeless car dealership, that you just drive by and don’t think twice.  I don’t write this to criticize or disparage the owners, but just to encourage that I truly believe this landmark deserves another chance.  I can only hope that it isn’t too late, and although I don’t have the funds or bandwidth to do it on my own, I personally would help anyway I can. I know many others feel the same way.   I pray someone will take a chance and breathe new life into this place and give it one more shot to remain the Lexington icon that it is. 

It may just be a single location in the big picture of Lexington, but to me it stands for a lot more.  It signifies a turning point on what we want the future of Lexington to look like.  Even considering this from a tourism perspective- what do people think when they visit Lexington? Sure, hip, new restaurants and developments are necessary and appreciated but do we want to ultimately be just a swath of strip malls and characterless buildings.  To me, having a good mix of the old and the new is so necessary for a vibrant and interesting city that people want to visit and live in.    

In today’s times where we seem to be divided over everything, the world needs more things like the Parkette.  Lexington needs the Parkette.  I want my son to grow up with places like the Parkette.  It would be a huge mistake if we let it just slip away like so many other landmarks of Lexington’s past.

xoxo

Emily