The Outlet Shops of the Bluegrass coming to Simpsonville, Kentucky

Louisville and Lexington’s economic markets are about to be in for a real shock this July. Outlet malls are coming to Simpsonville, Kentucky which is nestled in between Louisville and Lexington. The Outlet Shops of the Bluegrass will create over 1,000 jobs in the area as well bringing in 4 million people.

Simpsonville’s Mayor, Steve Eden, is ecstatic about the outlets coming. Mayor Eden is in his 21st year of being mayor, and he has witnessed the second fastest growing city in the state of Kentucky, double their population in the last decade.

Mayor Eden said, “My initial thought was a thousand jobs which really interested us coming out of the slow economy of 2008.” For two years, the idea of the outlet malls were circulating. Mayor Eden recalled that a few men came into City Hall and told them they were thinking about putting in outlet malls. He didn’t believe them. However, six months later, they came back in and told him that they bought the land and were building. “It’s not something we went out and looked for, they pretty much found us. Through the process, we think its going to be a great asset,” Eden said.

The Outlet Shops of the Bluegrass are modeled after The Outlet Shops of Atlanta. Mayor Eden had the opportunity to visit these Outlets located in Woodstock, Georgia and was very impressed with how they looked and were run. “To me, when you drive by it you’re going to think it’s a business park not an outlet because it looks so fancy,” said Mayor Eden.

The outlets were originally named “The Outlet Shops of Louisville.” “We realize in this business,” said Mayor Eden, “that something like this has to be tied with something regional if you want it to be successful.” The people however were not as accepting and spoke out and they were heard. On March 7th, they announced the new name of the shopping center, “The Outlet Shops of the Bluegrass”.

While located in Simpsonville, Mayor Eden believes this will benefit all the surrounding areas as well. “We think it won’t only stimulate the economy for Simpsonville, but the whole Shelby County.” “We hope it helps Shelby County, Louisville, and the surrounding counties,” Eden said.

The outlets are a $80 million investment and they are expecting to earn about $30 million in payroll each year.

The county will greatly benefit with the taxes from the outlets. The city of Simpsonville will specifically encourage local jobs. “We will be having a job fair on April 1 at [Martha Lanes] Collins High School,” Eden said. At these job fairs, they will encourage resident to apply for local jobs to further help the growing Simpsonville economy.

“In my years of living here, I think a lot of the economic development in the next 50 years is going to go right down the interstate between Lexington and Louisville,” Eden said. Simpsonville, along with the rest of Shelby County, has been expanding the interstates as well improving the roads. Eden said, “That’s the corridor you will see of growth because that’s where the construction is.”

The property is owned by Horizon Group Properties. The Vice President of Marketing, Gina Slechta, also spoke positively about the area. “There are no other outlet centers in the market. The shoppers are having to drive to other areas to enjoy outlet shopping” said Slechta. “Horizon Group Properties is the leasing, management and marketing arm of the project,” Slechta said.

Horizon Property partnered with CBL Construction for the building of the outlets. “Our first shopping center opening that we partnered with CBL was in Oklahoma, City in 2011. While the rest of the country was in recession and development was at a standstill, our partnership allowed us to open the only major mall in 2011,” Slechta said.

“The Outlet Shops of the Bluegrass” will hold 80 stores and be over 370,000 square foot. They are scheduled to open July 31, 2014.

It’s safe to say that Sacred Heart’s student body will help Simpsonville’s new develop. Fifty students participated in a survey concerning the outlets coming. 59% of the students definitely plan on shopping at the outlets while 33% consider it a possibility. Seventy-one percent of student polled said they were willing to drive to Simpsonville to shop. In addition, 58% said that they spend more at outlet malls than regular malls, and 63% are more likely to go now that they are closer.

The following stores have confirmed their spot at The Outlet Shops of the Bluegrass:

Aeropostale
American Eagle
Ann Taylor Outlet Store
Asics
Banana Republic
Brooks Brothers
Carter/ OSHKOSH B Gosh
Charlotte Russe
Christopher & Banks
Coach
Crabtree & Evelyn
Dress Barn
Easy Spirit Outlet
Famous Footwear
Fox Head Inc.
Gap
Guess Factory
Gymoree Outlet
Jockey
Jones New York
Journey’s
Jos. A Bank Clohiers
Justice and Brothers
J. Crew
Kay Jewlers
Kitchen Collection
Lane Bryant
Lids
Locker Room by Lids
Loft Outlet
LoveCulture
Lucky Brand
Michael Kors
Nike Factory Store
Nine West
Oakly Vault
Old Navy Outler
Perfumania
Rack Room Shoes
Ralph Lauren
Sketchers
Sunglass Warehouse
The Children’s Place
The Fragrance Outlet
The Levis Store
The North Face
Tommy Hilfiger
Wilson’ Leather
Zumiz