About

A Cultural District is a specific area of a city or town identified by the municipality that has a number of cultural facilities, activities and/or assets – both for profit and nonprofit. It is a walkable, compact area that is easy for visitors to recognize. It is a center of cultural activities – artistic, and economic. It is a place in the city where community members congregate, and visitors may enjoy those places that make a community special. Because each community is unique, each Cultural District will look different.

Cultural districts may also serve to unite or strengthen existing cultural assets to form “natural” cultural districts, particularly on a neighborhood level and in economically underserved areas. As an alternative to top-down planned cultural district models, we will identify and recruit local cultural organizations, professionals and local residents rather than recruit externally to help leverage investment funds for development. Our cultural district thus strives to integrate economic opportunity and social inclusion.

The African Village Cultural District will have a substantial economic impact by creating jobs, entrepreneurship opportunities for local residents, promoting the local food economy, catalyzing redevelopment / revitalization, and providing hope and wealth building for West Louisville residents.

Job Creation – The Market Pavilion will open with approximately 50 tenants. In addition to vendors, each one of these entrepreneurs will hire local area residents to assist them. A variety of artisan food entrepreneurs will also lease the Artisan Food Center space, to create local unique foods.

Entrepreneurial Opportunities – The Market will offer a unique opportunity for entrepreneurs to build a business in a small space. Many will be first-time business owners testing a concept and taking advantage of the Market’s unique ability to generate foot-traffic.

Business Growth – Over time, some startup businesses at the Market will grow and “graduate” into different types of space, hopefully in nearby adjacent neighborhoods. This includes vendors moving into a more traditional storefront space, or food product makers scaling up to lease a larger production facility in a light industrial area. The goal is that some businesses develop concepts and products that grow into national brands.