Ask Kristopher Kelley, owner of Full Stop Station, about anything the store sells, and he can tell you exactly where it came from.
The eggs and much of the meat are delivered from the local Kentucky farm Kelley manages, which is owned by his aunt and uncle. Full Stop carries and sells biodiesel made from recycled cooking oil from Louisville restaurants. Customers can get a cup of joe made of beans from Ritual Coffee in San Francisco, and the bread is sourced from local baker Blue Dog. All of this results in an eclectic menu selling everything from biscuits and gravy to avocado toast. Full Stop can even add CBD to beverages.
Kelley (pictured) credits his connection to the community in Louisville as the reason for Full Stop’s existence. “I was managing the farm and wishing I had a more direct connection to be able to retail some of the meat,” he says. “I valued how we were raising the animals. It’s all outdoors and as sustainable as possible.”
Walking into Full Stop is like stepping into the past, but with a 21st century touch. The unit is a renovated fuel station, with porcelain enamel panels on the walls and old lifts that have been converted into seating and a display shelf. The store has beer and kombucha on tap, plus an electric-vehicle charger outside.
The store opened in January 2019 in Germantown, both an up-and-coming growth area and a place with a well-established local history. Full Stop’s clientele is a mix of younger customers and what Kelley describes as a “very proud, blue-collar” population of folks born and raised in the area. He credits the neighborhood association with helping Full Stop get its beer license: “They’re a group of people that really, really care about the neighborhood, which is great.”
Full Stop’s clientele is a mix of younger customers and what Kelley describes as a “very proud, blue-collar” set of folks born and raised in the area.