Where do you go in Shepherdsville when you want to sit somewhere for an hour, and not just grab something and drive home? Over the past year, a few family-run businesses have opened around South Buckman Street, East Joe B. Hall Avenue and Frank E. Simon Avenue, and that question seems to be what got them started. One opened because a food truck had no tables. One gives a dozen traveling vendors a permanent spot. One renovated a building specifically to add more seating.
If you live near Lazy River or anywhere else in the 40165 ZIP, here's what each of these places is, who runs it, and how to time a visit so you can stop at more than one.
A Food Truck That Needed a Dining Room
The Lighthouse at 160 Frank E. Simon Avenue started with a familiar problem. Jenny and Brad Back, who live in Shepherdsville, spent the past year running J.B.'s Mac-N-Cheese and Spuds, a food truck serving loaded macaroni and cheese bowls and loaded potatoes with three kinds of meat and a long list of toppings. Customers had nowhere to sit, so the Backs found a building and gave the truck a dining hall.
"Food trucks have a problem of nowhere to sit and eat," Brad Back told The Pioneer News. "We found it to be a deterrent," Jenny added.
According to the same Pioneer News report, the couple first talked about the idea in February. Brad said they spent about two months working on the building, and the grand opening was set for Saturday, July 25. Brad said they checked with the Bullitt County Health Department first, and were told the setup was fine as long as the food truck was certified.
Inside The Lighthouse, there's a kids' play area and a bookshelf of puzzles, cards and board games. Jenny told the paper, "We want to get people off of their phones." The space is available to rent, and the Backs said other food trucks will be invited to park alongside on some days.
The schedule is the part to remember. As reported, The Lighthouse is open Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. That's a short week, and it shapes the rest of downtown more than you might expect.
One Family, Two Buildings on Buckman Street
The next two stops are next door to each other, and both are in buildings owned by the Gould family.
Oliver Pine Coffee & Wine is at 349 S. Buckman Street, on the corner of Joe B. Hall Avenue. The shop's grand-opening announcement set the date for Tuesday, August 18, 2026, and thanked people for their patience: "We think it has been well worth the wait." The Pioneer News reported that co-owner Savannah Bennett learned the coffee business in college and came back to her hometown to open the shop. Her father and co-owner, Branch Gould, who also owns Forest Edge Winery in Clermont, bought the building, then renovated and expanded it to add a larger dining area.
There are a few things worth ordering on a first visit:
- The Salt River, a salted caramel coffee
- The O.P., made with white chocolate, caramel and maple
- Locally made bagels from Born 2 Bagel
- Seasonal drinks from a menu that rotates
The name says wine, but when the Pioneer News covered the opening, the shop was still waiting on its license to serve it. If you're planning an evening glass, check the shop's Facebook page first. The paper says that's where Oliver Pine posts menu updates.
Twelve Vendors Who Stopped Packing Up
The Farmhouse Market at 341 S. Buckman Street is a few doors down. Owners Holly and Steve O'Keefe came to it from other businesses. Steve owns O'Keefe Flooring, and Holly ran an online boutique. As The Pioneer News tells it, the O'Keefes knew the Goulds, and Traci Gould asked Holly whether she knew anyone who wanted to open a business in the space. Holly's answer: "We like to thrift shop, so we decided to do it."
The market follows the same idea as The Lighthouse, just for sellers. It hosts 12 vendors, all from Bullitt County, selling crafts, jewelry, lotions, household items and clothing. Steve explained that a permanent spot spares those vendors from hauling their goods from event to event. "We basically started our business to put 12 more inside," he said. Holly added, "Our goal is to see them all succeed."
For shoppers, that means you can see a dozen local makers on a weeknight without waiting for a craft fair. The market is open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. on Sunday. It also hosts events. Pumpkins & Ponies was held there on the evening of Thursday, October 15. If you have a question, the store's number is (502) 531-0002.
The Florist Next to the Wedding Venue
Around the corner at 187 E. Joe B. Hall Avenue, The Green Bean Bar sits between The Henryette Wedding & Event Venue and Journey Church. In spite of the name, it's a florist, plant shop and balloon business.
Owner Danae Rummel also co-owns The Henryette, and the shop is in the former garage building next to the venue. When her family bought The Henryette, that building was also for sale and had already been set up as a floral shop. The Pioneer News reported that the grand opening was pushed back by damage from the April 2025 Salt River flood. "Since I was 16 I've wanted to work with plants," Rummel told the paper.
The Green Bean Bar isn't somewhere you linger, but it fits the same pattern as the others. It's built around celebrations: flowers for the weddings next door, balloons for birthdays, and gifts for other occasions. The Pioneer News listed hours of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays. The shop's own site, thegreenbeanbar.com, shows it closed on Sundays and takes online orders.
Wednesday Is the Day Everything Lines Up
Each of these businesses keeps hours that suit its owners, and together they leave a narrow window. Here are the published schedules side by side. Hours change, so check each business's own page before you head out.
| Business | Address | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Lighthouse | 160 Frank E. Simon Ave | 11–7 | 11–7 | 11–7 | Closed | Closed | Closed | Closed |
| Oliver Pine Coffee & Wine | 349 S. Buckman St | Closed | 7–5 | 7–5 | 7–5 | 7–5 | 8–5 | Closed |
| The Farmhouse Market | 341 S. Buckman St | Closed | Closed | 11–7 | 11–7 | 11–7 | 11–7 | 12–6 |
| The Green Bean Bar | 187 E. Joe B. Hall Ave | 9–5 | 9–5 | 9–5 | 9–5 | 9–5 | 10–4 | Closed |
Wednesday is the only day all four are open, and the overlap runs from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. On Wednesday you could have lunch at The Lighthouse, walk over to Buckman Street for a Salt River at Oliver Pine, browse the vendors at The Farmhouse Market, and pick up flowers at The Green Bean Bar before it closes.
The rest of the week has gaps. On Monday, only The Lighthouse and The Green Bean Bar are open. From Thursday through Saturday, the two Buckman Street shops and the florist are open, but The Lighthouse is closed. Sunday is The Farmhouse Market's afternoon on its own. A weekend coffee at Oliver Pine needs to be a Saturday, since the shop is closed Sundays and Mondays.
This Sunday, The Lighthouse Opens Outside Its Usual Days
The Lighthouse's normal week ends on Wednesday, so this weekend stands out. Harvest of Hope, a fall festival and trunk-or-treat, is listed for Sunday, October 25, 2026, starting at 5 p.m. at 160 Frank E. Simon Avenue. That's three days after this post goes up. The details come from a public event listing, so check the times with The Lighthouse at (502) 492-0282 or [email protected] before you load the kids into the car.
A Sunday evening trunk-or-treat in a dining hall with a play area and a shelf of board games is pretty much the event the Backs described when they talked about a place where "people can come in and hang out." If your family has been to the fall events at City Park, this is a smaller option downtown. Our earlier post covers everything on the City Park calendar this fall. For more about the area around Lazy River, see our Lazy River neighborhood page.
If you find a new Shepherdsville spot that deserves a mention, or you'd like to talk through what's happening around your own street, I'd love to hear from you. Reach out to Kelsey L Reneau, and let's connect.
