Modern South's Kellie Walton visited ShelbyKY—read what she had to say:
I’ve been privileged to spend a lot of time in small Southern towns riddled with charming historic downtowns and the friendliest locals you ever did meet. But with that often comes a pattern – a few local spots barely holding on, and chains and corporations creeping in seemingly by the second.
When I visited Shelbyville, Kentucky, I was pleased to find a complete deviation from the latter part of small-town Americana. I sauntered down that adorable Main Street doing double-takes – that vintage clothing store was started by a local kid when he was 19 years old. That hat shop? A milliner creating 600+ custom pieces a year. The cheese shop, the boutique, the coffee shop… all are locally owned, and many by young entrepreneurs who chose to build something in their own towns rather than fleeing to bigger cities.
So if your 2026 travel plans can include supporting a small town with locally owned, independently run businesses in charming small towns, have we got the guide for you.
Here’s a small sample of the spots to check out during your visit to Shelbyville.
Read the article here.