LOUISVILLE,Ky — A grocery still in the West End will not be able to reopen for months after a driver crashed into their building, causing thousands of dollars in damage.
The crash happened last Thursday night, as temperatures dropped and rain turned to snow. Mitzi Wilson, co-owner of Black Market KY, says she was told by police the driver was speeding.
Inside the store, the damage is apparent. The crash knocked over a refrigerator, pushed a table through their front counter, and part of the ceiling is now bowed. Debris is still scattered across the ground, and the blue tarp covering the exterior wall shines through.
Wilson recalls how she felt when she found out about what happened.
“I was like ‘Oh my God,’” Wilson said. “My heart just raced so fast, my anxiety got up, but then when I came on the inside it really got up and I was like dang.”
To make things even worse, over the holiday weekend, the freezing cold also caused some of their pipes to burst. A sink flooded part of the store. “We came in and it was like a fire hydrant,” Wilson said.
All of this, Wilson says, is heartbreaking. Especially due to the fact that Black Market KY is one of the only places in the West End to buy fresh food and veggies. Having the storefront closed until March at the earliest will mean people in Portland will have to travel even further to get those items.
“They will have to catch the bus, maybe two buses,” Wilson said.
It’s why they will continue to take online orders and sell the rest of their current stock that has not but damaged.
Black Market KY has also set up a GoFundMe to help cover the cost of repairs.