This photo of W. K. Stewart’s was taken in 1928 — the building is now home to an architecture office. | Photo courtesy ASC, UofL
Hi Louisville, Editor Declan here. I don’t know about you, but I always love hearing Louisville mentioned in media, whether it’s a passing reference in a TV show or a random line in a book. The latter is what I found when reading Kurt Vonnegut’s 1997 novel “Timequake,” which contains two references to a relative of Vonnegut’s named Kerfuit Stewart running a bookstore here in Derby City.
If you’ve read “Timequake,” you’ll understand my trepidation in believing that such a person ever existed — the book wavers between fiction and non so much that you really feel like you’ve been through a timequake yourself. But a bit of research — and some help from readers like you — helped me discover that a Kerfoot Stewart really did live here in Louisville, really did run a bookstore, and really was a relative of Indianapolis’s own Kurt Vonnegut.
Here’s that same view from a 2024 Google Street View capture.
Photo via Google Maps
According to a 1999 column in the Courier Journal by Bob Hill, W.K. Stewart opened in Louisville in 1917 on 4th Street. Stewart operated it until his death in 1959, but the business remained in that building until 1975.
The couple behind Shahar is planning to open a taqueria on East Main Street next month. Expect a handful of low-priced taco options and a big drink menu featuring Mexican beers, margaritas, and a selection of mocktails. Opening is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 6. (Louisville Business First)
Civic
Select LFPL branches are open, while others remain closed due to the snow. Stay tuned to the library website to find out if your local branch is open or snowed in.
According to Gov. Andy Beshear, Kentucky snow plow teams have plowed over 670,000 miles of roads this weekend — that’s enough to circle the Earth nearly 30 times.(WHAS11)
Biz
UPS has officially retired the remaining 26 MD-11 planes from its fleet after November’s deadly crash in Louisville. FedEx still has 34 MD-11 planes in its fleet, all of which are currently still grounded. (Courier Journal)
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I hope you enjoyed today’s deep dive into W. K. Stewart, both the bookstore and the person. If you have any memories of the shop or information about its history, please reply to this email and let me know. I’m trying to collect as many stories as I can to be shared in a future newsletter.
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