109 - Natalie Wilkerson of River City Provisions cover art

109 - Natalie Wilkerson of River City Provisions

109 - Natalie Wilkerson of River City Provisions

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 This week, Sheri and Leo talk with Natalie Wilkerson of River City Provisions in Downtown Frankfort. Natalie Wilkerson grew up in Frankfort and moved back in 2003 after getting her master's in historic preservation and civil engineering from the University of Kentucky.She moved back because she had a strong interest in downtown revitalization and historic preservation. In 2003, there wasn't much happening in downtown Frankfort.She and her husband started their first project almost 20 years ago along with a little neighborhood consortium to save the old Noonan's building from demolition. You might know it better now as Jesse's frame shop, which has been there for a long time.She and Layne, along with Ellen and Jim Glasgow, who are also passionate about downtown and revitalizing the neighborhood, bought that project and fully rehabilitated the building. And it's been a good corner building ever since.Her current business partner is Jen Williamson, a registered architect in town who has worked on numerous preservation projects in Frankfort and around central Kentucky.Eight years ago, she and Jen Williamson started a consulting business called Cumberland Ventures. With that, they have been doing historic preservation consulting, doing tax credit applications, and National Register nominations.About three years ago. Jen was the project architect on 311 Saint Clair, which was the first downtown boutique hotel to open, and also owned the rear adjacent building on Main Street. People probably know that as Marshall Steiner. Younger people may know it as Back Street Diner. That building on Main Street had been a diner for several decades. Jen and her husband had bought and rehabilitated the building, and saw the opportunity to develop a little courtyard since the buildings back up to each other at the rear.With more visitors coming into Frankfort post-COVID and with the Bourbon tourist industry taking off, they saw a need for more retail on the first floor. So they relocated some of the office spaces from our prime commercial real estate. River City Provisions just came naturally.Then there were people in town who were going to need places to stay and things to do. They wanted to provide a storefront that would give them a little slice of Frankfort and let them take a little bit of Frankfort home with them on their journey.When they started River City Provisions, they “shop-shared” the space with another business, The Linen Closet, for the first year.Then, a space two doors down became available for rent, so The Linen Closet moved its business two doors down.We had this little incubator space so we could both get up on our feet.They also have a water refilling station in their store for Living Waters Kentucky members.The downtown business community is powerful in partnerships and collaborations.They pride themselves on being open seven days a week because it's not only weekends that people come downtown to shop and have fun.She thinks of them as a kind of modern-day general store. They have provisions, hence the name, for people who are traveling who forgot their toothpaste or need a charger or need a snack on the go.They've got a water refill station in case someone has a water bottle they need to fill up while they're walking. They also have local artists. They have a ceramic artist, a painter, and a leatherworker. They offer handmade leather products and jewelry, all locally made.They try to have small, little things that somebody can pick up and will remind them of their time in Frankfort.They try to meet the needs of a wide range of different types of customers. They're particularly fond of their hometown's proud t-shirts and apparel items.They have hats, shirts, and sweatshirts with the new Frankfort flag logo.They've got some neighborhood t-shirts.They are seeing more visitors because of having places for people to stay overnight, like the 311 Saint Clair, the Ashbrook, and the Delegate.They've noticed a significant increase in traffic during the week due to the foot traffic.They do all the designs themselves, print them locally at CLS, and try to mix it up. They push a design out, and when it sells, they move on to the next thing.They've got another little project in the works for a shirt and a sweatshirt that they're excited about with an image of “a local friend of ours”.The opening of new hotels makes them a considerable part of the Bourbon Trail. The Bourbon Trail attracts many visitors who come in with their Buffalo Trace wristbands.Also, plenty of locals come through because they haven't been downtown in a while.She thinks Frankfort has enough now with the retail, restaurants, and events that lots of people with lots of different interests can come down and have a good time.Natalie also buys and rehabilitates properties, which aligns with her interest in preserving and revitalizing Frankfort to make it a great place to be.Her particular interest is in downtown, where she lives, and that's ...
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