RACHEL BLACKBURN AND ELLIE BULLEN are pictured in their completely renovated and redesigned Up The Creek country store in Mortonsville. The shelving behind them, displaying a variety of Kentucky Proud food items, was designed and built by Rachel. (Photo by Scott White)

UP THE CREEK, a new country store that opened on Monday, April 20, in Mortonsville, will offer a gathering place for that area of the county. Ellie Bullen and Rachel Blackburn, co-owners and partners, will offer a small grocery, convenience store items, local art and plants. They also plan to host groups, like book clubs and live music. The ribbon cutting was attended by a large group of family and friends. Ellie, left, and Rachel, right, stand directly behind the podium holding the ribbon while bookended by family friend and Versailles Mayor Laura Dake next to Ellie, and Woodford County Judge-Executive James Kay next to Rachel. (Photo by Scott White)

By Scott White

Woodford Sun Staff

For folks old enough to remember, Mortonsville, located in southern Woodford County on Delaney Ferry between Troy Pike and McCowans Ferry, was more than just a scattering of homes and farms. There was Mortonsville Elementary School, Mary Lee’s Old Country Store, where you could get groceries, a bologna and cheese sandwich and an Ale 8 One. It was a proud hamlet, similar to Nonesuch and Millville.

It was founded by James Morton, and a post office was established there in 1835. It was the center of an active farm-based economy in the surrounding area, and it remains so today.

So, is it any wonder that one of Mortonsville’s daughters and her partner have come home to open Up The Creek country store on the same spot as Mary Lee’s? To make it more local, the creek in its name refers to Tanner Creek, which flows behind the store.

Ellie Bullen was raised in Mortonsville by her parents, Edward and Julie, who came to Woodford County nearly 30 years ago when their careers brought them to Lexington.

“We wanted a community with excellent schools, and loved the idea of a small town, and we found our home and have been here ever since,” said Julie.

Following her graduation from Woodford County High School in 2016, Ellie earned her degree in landscape design from New College in Sarasota, Florida. She now has her own design practice, after working a year in New York City before returning home.

Ellie’s partner, Rachel Blackburn, is similarly accomplished. From Frankfort, Kentucky, Rachel earned her degree from the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York, in ornamental interior architecture. She remained in New York City, developing her art and skills. Today, Rachel is an artist focused on ironwork, both interiors and exteriors. The two women met in Lexington, and now are realizing a dream of having a business that focuses on community.

If you remember the old store, you will not recognize the new one. Purchased by Edward during the pandemic, it became the perfect location for a complete overhaul to open Up The Creek.

Much of the interior design was built by Rachel, such as the ironwork shelving, which is decorative yet functional, with finished shelving she made from a Poplar tree. There is a large bar, lots of open seating, coffee and lots of local Kentucky-made food products. The store will also offer convenience-store-type items and some groceries.

Woodford County Judge-Executive James Kay made his first purchase, a pocket knife with the Up The Creek logo burned on it.

“We plan to have a general store vibe, a mini-nursery where I’ll focus on native plants and flowers, which I like to use in my designs, and work from local artists to sell,” Ellie said. “We really want this to also be a place where the community can gather, spend time with each other.”

Rachel added that they also plan to host live music and community-focused events, and host groups like book clubs.

The store is open Thursday through Sunday, with hours from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday, and noon to 6 p.m. on Sunday.

“We really appreciate the support of the community I grew up in; it just means so much,” Ellie said. “We want to run a good general store with good values.”

Given its location and wide front porch with rockers, it is the perfect place to sit and enjoy the beauty of southern Woodford County at its finest.