Publix Opens Wednesday, Shoney's Turns 40 in Elizabethtown

Key Takeaways

• Publix opens Wednesday in Elizabethtown, with Kilwins and Beignets and Brew filling in the shops around it
• Bath and Body Works opened Friday at Towne Mall, in a larger space Nate says the old mall layout could not have supported
• Cold Stone Creamery opened Sunday in the former Baskin-Robbins next to Green Bamboo
• Shoney's hits 40 years in Elizabethtown with a celebration Wednesday
• Firehouse Subs is hiring in Elizabethtown under new ownership, with a Radcliff location on the way
• Willie's Pizza and Pappy's Tacos in Radcliff are both temporarily closed, not permanently

Summary

Nate Bryan called it a weekend that was busy for openings and busy for what is coming, and he was not overselling it. Three places opened in the space of three days, the biggest grocery opening of the year lands Wednesday, and one of the oldest restaurants in town hits a milestone almost nobody expected to see.

What Opened

Bath and Body Works, Towne Mall

It opened Friday, and Nate got out there before the crowd. The store is substantially bigger than the old one, and he made an argument about the mall's redevelopment rather than just noting the opening:

"I don't think this happens under the old mall setup. I just don't see how it would have been possible to have a bigger store with that much visibility with that much direct parking under the old setup."

It sits near the Fazoli's and McDonald's entrance, by what Nate thinks is going to be a horse statue water fountain. He took a picture and is still not certain.

Cold Stone Creamery

Opened Sunday, in the former Baskin-Robbins space right at the corner next to Green Bamboo.

Publix, Wednesday

The one people have been waiting months for. Publix opens Wednesday. Nate was not sure of the exact hour on air, so check with the store, but the day is set.

The surrounding center is coming together with it. Kilwins has temporary signage up marking where it is going. At the far end, the pink-and-white striped awning that some people took for a Rita's Italian Ice is actually Beignets and Brew.

What Is Coming

Firehouse Subs has its sign up in Elizabethtown and is now hiring. For everyone who has asked: it is not the same ownership as the previous location. Radcliff is getting one too, and that building has already been added onto, though Nate did not have a hiring status for it.

Sweet Spot Donuts and Coffee had some delays and is now back on schedule and hiring. Find it on Buford Lane, off Woodland, behind TSC, on the right side of the development with Neil Atcher State Farm in the middle. Nate believes they are making their own donuts.

Forty Years of Shoney's

The local anchor story this week. Shoney's has been in Elizabethtown for 40 years, with a celebration Wednesday.

Nate could not remember whether Shoney's or Cracker Barrel opened first, only that the two of them started the whole exit 94 corridor. Grafton and Rachel were no help: neither of them was born yet. Nate grew up in the middle of the argument, with his parents preferring Cracker Barrel while everybody else wanted the Shoney's buffet.

Rachel Brantingham confirmed it is still live in her own house: her dad wants Shoney's every time, the rest of the kids want Cracker Barrel.

Nate's summary was the right one:

"Forty years is a great run for a restaurant."

The restaurant has remodeled a couple of times but has stayed in the same location, serving locals, hotel guests and travelers off the interstate the whole way.

Fall Festival Farms Are Open

Nate flagged that nearly every local fall festival farm is now open or opening within the next week, roughly a couple of weeks after Labor Day as usual. Among them: Thomas Dairy, which has a haunted corn maze, Field of Screams over in Meade County, Hill of Terror and Sinister Tombs. Hinton's in Hodgenville, not the Dixie location, has been running deals on apples.

He has the full list posted on his Facebook page.

Radcliff: Two Temporary Closings

Willie's Pizza in Radcliff is closed for building renovations. Nate was clear that this is maintenance on a building that needed it, not a business shutting down. The space previously held Harlem Gardens.

Pappy's Tacos is also temporarily closed. Same story: a pause, not an ending.

"Kind of sad to see small businesses have to close for a little bit, but I'm sure they'll bounce back."

Never miss what's happening in Hardin County. Create a free account and you'll get the weekly events email and every new article the moment it drops. No password, no spam, just your county.