Downtown Lexington legend pours her last cup of coffee. What’s next for her shop?
A downtown Lexington legend has announced her retirement.
In a post on social media, Third Street Stuff and Coffee said owner Pat Gerhard is retiring and the shop at 257 N. Limestone will close indefinitely.
“After 21 years of creating this wild and colorful coffee shop and serving the community, Pat has decided it’s time to hang up her hat,” the post said. “In her heart she would be pouring coffee and tending to the goldfish forever.”
According to the post, the shop will close June 1 for a transition period.
Gerhard did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Gerhard, 73, has been known as a colorful downtown presence for decades. Her shop has existed for decades as a whimsical coffee and art shop, and has been a supportive presence for Lexington’s LGBTQ+ community.
According to separate posts on Reddit and Instagram, the shop employees had called for a boycott and strike on May 23 and 30 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. to protest the closure, which staff called “an apparent effort to union bust.”
“Why this would warrant a potentially indefinite closure, who knows? We suspect it’s to force the people who make up our union out under the guise of renovations and new ownership,” according to the staff posts.
The posts say Gerhard’s son Dave Gerhard and his wife, Lindsey, are taking over the shop.
