The Neutral Zone, a popular purveyor of quality University of Louisville fan gear, welcomed customers on Wednesday from a brand new location at 11524 Shelbyville Road in Middletown.
The new store is the third location for the company, which originally opened as CardWear in 1999 at a location across from Oxmoor Mall on Shelbyville Road. The company changed its name to Neutral Zone in 2003 to accommodate University of Kentucky fans. The facility is located between Schellers Fitness & Cycling and Willis Klein.
Owner Rick Paulin says the new store will carry as much merchandise as the previous store on Blankenbaker Parkway. “This new location provides us with a more flexibility to respond more quickly to the preferences of our customers,” he said.
“Our passion is to serve our customers with merchandise that reflects the love for their schools,” he added. “We want to stay abreast of trends while providing a good selection of choices.”
Customers will see a lot of new designs and inventory in the new location, including adidas and Nike, along with such brands as Cutter & Buck, Retro Brands, Camp David and Legacy baseball caps. Paulin believes the smaller location will also translate to more value for Neutral Zone’s customers.
In addition to fan apparel, the store also offers a wide variety of other items, such as Woodford Reserve bourbon balls, Bourbon Q and Makers Mark sauces, watches, jewelry, glassware, banners, ad infinitum.
The company will continue to share space with Richards Awards & Engraving, which has been around since 1939, doing trophies and service awards for local businesses. Both are family-owned companies, with Rick’s wife Sharon and sons Jeremy and Matthew engaged in the business.
The store will have a grand reopening on Saturday, August 19th, to celebrate the move to the new location.
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