Grocery store, 2 new-to-Lexington retailers coming to Hamburg shopping center
Two prominent empty Lexington storefronts in Hamburg are getting three major new tenants, including a new gourmet grocery store.
Leases have been signed for the vacant spots where buybuy BABY and Bed Bath and Beyond were, at 2321 Sir Barton Way.
Both stores closed in 2023 after their parent company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Now, the former Bed Bath and Beyond store is fenced off with a dumpster out front, preparing for renovations.
Now the area is getting new life.
First up: Fresh Market.
“The Fresh Market is going into what was formerly the buybuy Baby space,” said Patrick Madden, owner and developer of the property. “This has been a 25-year effort by me to get this. I’ve known what that area needs is a specialty grocery.”
He said he heard about it every time he went out to dinner: “People would come up and ask, ‘When are you going to get a Fresh Market or a Whole Foods?’ Like I hadn’t been trying.”
Madden said the two other new retailers are moving into the space next door and both are expected open in 2025: Sierra Trading Post and Skechers.
“I couldn’t be happier with the mix of tenants for these stores. It’s the perfect mix,” Madden said. “It should increase everybody else’s sales as well.”
He said the nearby Meijer, which also sells a wide array of groceries, household items and clothing, should also benefit.
“I actually think it will help Meijer. I’m always a big advocate of creating places where people can come and get everything,” Madden said. “The more synergies, the better.”
What do the new Hamburg stores sell?
▪ The Fresh Market, specialty grocery chain that offers premium hand-trimmed meats, seafood, produce and gourmet items, as well as prepared meals and fresh baked goods, is coming to the shopping center.
This will be the second Fresh Market store in Lexington; there is one in Lansdowne Shoppes on Tates Creek.
“We don’t have a firm opening date yet, but we’re looking at the last quarter of 2025, early 2026 at the latest,” Madden said.
A spokesperson for The Fresh Market did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
▪ Sierra Trading Post, a new-to-market discount outdoor gear retailer that is part of the TJX Companies chain, which includes TJ Maxx, Marshall’s, Home Goods and HomeSense. This will be the first Sierra Trading Post in Central Kentucky; there is one in Florence in Northern Kentucky. A company spokesperson said it does not have any specific details to share yet on the Lexington new store.
▪ Skechers, the popular shoe brand, is opening its first Lexington standalone store between the other two retailers. A spokesperson for the company said the new store will open in Fall 2025. While the shoes are found in many stores, Skechers stores have a wider array of all styles, according to the company. There is one Skechers store in Kentucky, in the Outlet Shoppes of the Bluegrass in Simpsonville, just off I-64.
The Hamburg retail, dining and housing development was created out of the historic Madden family Thoroughbred horse farm. Now it’s home to several shopping centers, a YMCA, schools and $253 million medical facility, with more growth coming:
Cowgill Inc. has announced plans for a 44-acre “Hamburg East” development on Winchester and Polo Club Boulevard, next to a new, planned UK HealthCare medical campus.
“It was all part of the plan to try to create synergies and make us the best shopping center in the state,” Madden said. “People follow the shopping. The homes, the schools, the amenities, every component is important.”
