Three years ago, Louisville native Daniel Duncan opened the doors at GreenHaus on Preston Avenue, combining an eclectic mix of products into a store that has to be experienced to properly understand. “This is all stuff I’m really into,” He told me, “Or maybe borderline obsessed.” Taking a healthy knowledge of drinks from his time bartending at Nachbar, Duncan mixes an amazing selection of beer and wine with local chocolates from Cellar Door, indoor plants and terrariums, hand-picked vintage furniture items, records, live music shows and a place for Louisville’s artists to show their works.
If that all seems like a lot to you, don’t think the Duncan under-commits to any one area of the store - everything in GreenHaus is selected with a sense of care and intention that speaks to what Duncan sees as the artistry behind the item. With furniture and household goods, he says he might spend a day looking for new items and come up empty handed. “I’m really into design and style, and I want to craft a sense of that here.” With a vintage and mid-century aesthetic in mind, Duncan looks for well-made and unique items that reflect quality as well as have their own artistic merit.
The same philosophy applies to other items as well - “I won’t sell a beer or wine unless I try it and like it,” he says, and he definitely boasts an impressive and well-rounded selection. You’d be hard pressed to not find an excellent beer or wine on the shelves at GreenHaus, and any questions are readily answered as well.
Along with the beer and wine, Duncan stocks a variety of locally-produced foods - cheese from
, fresh bread from
(Fridays only),
, and
are all featured - I for one have walked out with a full evening “meal” more than once. Everything at GreenHaus keeps with the theme - quality, selective, and creating a feeling of home that’s hard to find under one roof. There’s also pottery by
, a garden worth of seeds from
, and an incredible selection of terrariums from
.
Not only does GreenHaus boast an incredible retail element, but it’s also an amazingly intimate and relaxed music venue as well. “I want to have a space for everything that can’t exist in a bar,” Duncan says, and he’s created just that. The crowds get pretty packed in at GreenHaus, but there’s always an amazing atmosphere. The people who come to a show know that they’re there for the event - no one talks through the music, there isn’t any hollering or disrespectful behavior, and nothing gets out of hand. Top that off with an excellent selection of beer and wine and you have a recipe for a great evening that doesn’t involve having to go to a bar.
GreenHaus has pulled in some excellent musical acts, and even plays host to a children’s show called
. Duncan’s brother, Jacob Duncan, fronts the Louisville band
, and using GreenHaus’ space, has set out “to empower children to embrace the values of creativity, innovation, community, collaboration and experimentation.” They’ve also partnered with
, and have brought a number of musicians to GreenHaus to perform for children - most recently Norah Jones (the video of her session will be released on December 12th).
Duncan has some pretty exciting plans for the future as well - He’d love to do some renovations to add more food, and is working on plans to add beer taps to fill growlers. Of course the amazing shows at GreenHaus will continue - next up on the list is Simon Joyner, who will be making GreenHaus his
Louisville stop for his living room tour
(if you’re interested in tickets you might want to get them quickly - they’re limited). Duncan is also working towards regular recurring events, but is still in the planning phase at this point.
If you haven’t been to GreenHaus and are into local art and music, good beer and an amazing atmosphere you owe it to yourself to check it out. Duncan has created a store that occupies a unique niche, and he does so with an excellent amount of class, comfort and welcoming.
Photos courtesy of Daniel Duncan and Mickie Winters.
