July 19, 2008 is the last day of business for Quills Coffee and Books at their Kentucky Street location. They told me they’re closing but that they’ll be opening again sometime soon-ish, somewhere. Yeah, it was all a little vague. The guy on the phone said they’re hoping to say in the same neighborhood but don’t have a location yet. So maybe the rent was too high at the current location or the lack of parking became an issue. Don’t know.
I personally haven’t been to Quills in many, many months after spending a ton of time there last summer and fall. I have a couple reasons for that but none that make me happy to see the shop closing. I loved the vibe of the place. Hopefully their new location, wherever that will be, will have as much charm.
July 9th, 2008 at 9:15 am
How sad! There are about a dozen other coffee shops between my home and Quills, but I still made it a point to stop by there from time to time. I hope they find an equally charming place to relocate.
July 9th, 2008 at 9:27 am
i hope they close sojourn as well!
July 9th, 2008 at 9:47 am
I too haven’t been there for some time. It’s unfortunate they couldn’t make it work there. The area is cool and eclectic and Quills just fit perfectly. Too bad.
July 9th, 2008 at 11:26 am
I’m brokenhearted about this news! i am about to move into that neighborhood and quills was one of my very, very favorite things about it!
July 9th, 2008 at 3:51 pm
While I’m not into the Christian underpinnings of the place, the interior of Quills comes the closest of anyplace in Louisville to what I think a coffeeshop should be like…cozy, dark, good art/design, books, etc. I also liked Atomic Saucer a lot, it’s a shame that they couldn’t keep it going but maybe Germantown hasn’t gentrified enough to support a cool coffeeshop.
Highland Coffee is a little too much like a chain bagel shop (plus gaming-enthusiast teenagers) in atmosphere, Old Louisville is close to me but could not be lamer (thanks to the new ownership), Ray’s has the product and the ethics that I love but the kids that I kind of don’t (plus more toys and primary colors than I care for), Heine Bros does some good things but there are too many of them, they’re expensive, have an ugly logo, and the atmosphere is too bland to even notice, Derby City is decent but not very inviting and has weird hours, Sunergos has all the Christianity of Quills, at half the atmosphere, Java Brewing has a drive-thru, McStarbucks doesn’t even deserve a mention, except to say that I’m just glad Louisville doesn’t have the plague of them that Chicago has. I got spoiled by going to college in Minneapolis, where there are a few dozen little unique independent coffeeshops, most open until at least midnight or 2am…nowhere I’ve lived since has even come close, including Chicago.
July 9th, 2008 at 7:48 pm
PJ’s comments about Quills summed up nicely my own view – the interior was right, and the coffee was pretty good (Jackson and Sunergos).
Those of us who spend hours working and relaxing in cafes always have a hard time finding that perfect place. I haven’t, but Quills was nice and within walking distance. Highland is where I spend most of my time these days, and it’s working pretty well for me. When it doesn’t, there are several other choices within walking distance.
July 15th, 2008 at 9:24 pm
I recently started making quills my office space. Sad to see it move, and hope it opens soon somewhere not to far. They have great fung shooey.
August 1st, 2008 at 10:25 pm
What is this odd talk about Christianity underpinnings, etc.?? I’ve been in there regularly and never got the slightest notion of it. Where do you come up with it. It seems weird to me that you pick that up.
August 4th, 2008 at 9:51 am
Let me jump in and offer some clarity.
A few of the folks involved in Quills attend a Christian church just down the road from our previous location. Friendships and proximity naturally brought several members of the church (many of whom are seminary students) to Quills on a regular basis. But because we had not identified ourselves via our web site, marketing, etc. the rumor mill cranked out it’s own version which lead many to believe that Quills Coffee is some sort of front for a few local churches.
As the CEO I can say, this is just not the case. Quills is an independent company owned by five local business men. The personal beliefs of owners and staff concerning religion, politics, culture, etc. is quite diverse. We embrace this diversity. It helps us create a business that is welcoming to everyone regardless of politics, race, sexual orientation, class, religion or whatever.
When we open our new location we want everyone who drops in to have a positive experience. And while there, we hope folks realize that Quills is only religious about great coffee.
Cheers,
Nathan Quillo
September 23rd, 2008 at 5:57 pm
waaaah! I hope they reopen soon! As far as coffeehouses go, that one was my favorite… my husband always liked Sunergos better. Since they have the same coffee, we figured it must be a girl-guy difference in atmosphere preference. Or maybe just a personality difference.
November 10th, 2008 at 10:34 am
Coming from Indy I was uber excited about finding a good coffeeshop. However, I’m sorry to say that I haven’t been able to find one. I live in southern Indiana and found Quills about 2 months before they closed. NOT COOL. I don’t get to explore Louisville that much, but I’ve tried a few coffeeshops and nothing comes close to Quills or my old places back home. It’s either the wrong atmosphere or really bad coffee/espresso. The only one now worth going to that I’ve been to is in Jeffersonville.