If you’ve been near the corner of Nicholasville Road and Man O’ War recently, you’ve probably noticed an influx in tents, camping stoves and people wearing clothes you’d wear on a boat with hard hats at the same time, as high-end shoppers prepare for the long and treacherous journey over the very flat land to the somewhat inexplicably named “The Summit” shopping center.

It may seem unusual for shoppers to have to take such precautions to visit a new shopping center, but please know that shoppers have been advised to find a tour guide and work in groups to navigate The Summit as only about a tenth of the stores are currently open and much of the area is still a very active construction zone. Many shoppers embraced the challenge though, Karen Blanc told us, “It’s exciting, you know. How often do you get the chance to shop for expensive, chic clothing while also getting to dodge construction equipment. Very exciting.” After talking to some of the shoppers, The Summit’s new slogan “10% of the shopping, 100% of the danger” makes a lot more sense.

It seems that the owners rushed the opening of the shopping center, presumably to attract some high-end horse people (people that like horses, not centaurs, common mistake) before Keeneland ends it’s spring meet, hoping that they could grab some of that sweet horse cash before it flies back to Saudi Arabia. The Summit at Fritz Farm now joins Centrepointe in the growing list of projects in Lexington that were unsuccessfully rushed to completion to try and meet horse industry deadlines.