Whenever we get the chance, my husband and I enjoy traveling to our surrounding counties and visiting much smaller towns than the one we live in. I’m sure as we are heading their way, the people there are heading elsewhere, towards a more populated area, with big plans for their day. Better shopping, bigger grocery stores, more variety. We tend be searching for small businesses and grocery stores, local restaurants and hidden gems. When you think about it, it’s quite funny! The grass is always greener!
On this particular weekend, we visited Hardinsburg, Kentucky, which has a population less than 2,500 and is located in Breckenridge County. We took many back roads, and along those less traveled roads we stumbled upon so many beautiful barn quilts.
The barn quilts didn’t slow down once we got into town, either! Hardinsburg is such a cute little town, and it seems that lots of the once empty storefronts are filling up. I love seeing downtowns being revived!
There was a cute boutique called The Exchange on Main that I really wanted to go in, but of course it was closed. That’s always my luck! Also, there’s a restaurant called Nettie’s that’s on my list to try, but it was closed too. They have a Hot Brown Baked Potato on their menu that I’m just itching to try!
The post office caught my eye. It reminded me of the post office in Camden, South Carolina. Whenever we travel, I’m always looking for the post office. I enjoy mailing things from small towns, but I also enjoy seeing the type of buildings they will stick a post office in. You don’t see many this beautiful anymore, especially in rural parts. There’s a town by me that just recently got a post office, and it’s in a single wide trailer. These beautiful brick post offices deserve to be photographed and admired! I mailed a card to my Mama on this day. My husband regularly cuts out his favorite funnies from our small town newspaper and mails them to her. She so looks forward to getting them, and we enjoy sending them. When we visit her, we see them all hanging on her fridge!
Hardinsburg also has its own radio station! I used to listen to it a lot when we lived closer to Breckenridge County, but my radio antenna had to be positioned *just right*, and it was still a little fuzzy. There’s just something special about a small town with their own radio station! Clairee Belcher knew what she was doing when she bought KPPD! (That’s for you Steel Magnolias fans!)
Now, this is something you don’t see much these days. This is an original Walmart that opened on February 5, 1985. Look how small it is! The garden center is in the parking lot, and if you’ll notice, you can still park facing the store.
The inside was like walking into a time warp, and I loved it! There was something so comforting about this store. It felt safe, reassuring, and didn’t have the hectic atmosphere that the supercenters have. The customer service desk was still in the middle of the store, right when you walk in. It reminds me of the location my grandparents used to shop at in the early 90’s. The only thing missing was a Walmart cafe, and my Grandma and Grandpa sitting in a booth, chatting and laughing away. Sigh. Those truly were the days, and we’ll never get them back.
Did you notice that there is only EIGHT registers!?
I purchased a yard of white cotton fabric for a beginners quilt pattern I will be working on. It will be my first mini quilt attempt ever, and I’ll always remember this first project, so hopefully I’ll remember that I bought some of the fabric for it at this cute little Walmart.
Thanks so much for reading along on my small town adventure. Stay tuned for part 2 of my trip to Hardinsburg, which will be all about where we ate - ANOTHER TIME WARP!
Hope you’ll stick around!
-Bunny
#willtravelforfood
