Articles

Hat World shows sign of recovering from lackluster year

The locally based headwear retailer Hat World made a name for itself by snatching up competitors and opening hundreds of
stores around the country. However, after sluggish sales in the fiscal year that ended Feb. 2, the company–a
unit of Nashville, Tenn.-based Genesco Inc.–says it plans to open fewer stores than usual this year so
officials can put their focus back on existing operations.

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Popular Crawfords bakery closing

Crawfords Bakery & Deli is closing its retail bakery at 16th Street and Capital Avenue across from Methodist Hospital. The local company, established in 1981, will continue operating a 25,000-square-foot wholesale…

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Independent coffee shops feeling perkier than Starbucks

At a time when Starbucks is closing hundreds of stores nationwide, he and other local independent coffeehouse owners say they’re doing just fine, largely because they’re infusing their stores with personality and offering consumers an experience chain stores can’t replicate.

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BW3, Madame Walker & Adobo

Wow, what a busy day. First off: No luck so far snagging a rendering of the new Buffalo Wild Wings under construction along Washington Street…

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Ailing Steak n Shake rehires ad agency, but will pact stick?

Local advertising powerhouse Young & Laramore signed a new contract with Steak n Shake, one of its flagship clients, just
two weeks ago, but ad industry observers can’t help but wonder if the 18-year-old relationship is about to run its course.
Before the ink on the contract was dry, the struggling hamburger chain had a new board chairman who is likely to shuffle Steak
n Shake’s executive suite and take the company in a new direction.

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Neighbors appeal CVS approval

The Old Northside Neighborhood Association is fighting an administrative approval of plans to build a CVS pharmacy at the southeast corner of 16th and Meridian streets. The Metropolitan Development…

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Three failed businesses sink former Carson foe Dickerson

Former car dealer and congressional candidate Eric Dickerson has filed for personal bankruptcy after three failed businesses
left him saddled with more than $1 million in debt. Dickerson says he is virtually broke save for a $101,000 inheritance he
is set to receive from the estate of his late mother.

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Rink-Savoy, Fresh Market & more

Rink-Savoy honored
A $7.4-million renovation of the Rink-Savoy apartment building downtown (shown here) has won first place in a competition that honors the best in developments that utilize low income housing tax…

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Rebirth for Ambassador?

Two local developers have submitted bids to redevelop the Ambassador apartments adjacent to the Central Library. Van Rooy and Buckingham both proposed mixed uses for the Ambassador building, with street-level retail and commercial…

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Update: Monon Place approved

The Metropolitan Development Commission approved a $15-million Broad Ripple redevelopment project by a 9-0 vote this afternoon, disagreeing with a handful of vocal remonstrators. In siding with the developer,…

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New Lafayette Square owner pitching major expansion

Lafayette Square Mall could look a lot like the revitalized Glendale Town Center in a few years if the mall’s new owners get
their way. A proposed site plan shows that New York-based Ashkenazy Acquisition Corp. doesn’t intend to settle for filling
the mall’s ample vacant space.

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State drops canal development

A 1-acre site along the Central Canal will not be developed, at least for now, a state official said in an e-mail. The state’s public finance director, Jennifer Alvey,…

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Metropolis could get Bass Pro

Plainfield’s top retail destination could become a much larger draw if a Florida-based developer gets its way. DeBartolo Development has a preliminary deal to buy Metropolis and hopes to land Bass Pro Shops…

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Update: CVS files renderings

Check out the renderings for a CVS pharmacy at the southeast corner of 16th and Meridian streets. A previous post on the development is here. What do you think? By request, the siteplan is

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Car makers turn up pressure for bigger, but fewer, stores

Domestic automakers were already scheming about new ways to chop dealers–cutting costs to service them–as their market share
drained to Toyota and other foreign competitors. Now, an economy standing on the brakes could drive another round of dealer
consolidations that might not be a good deal for family-owned peddlers of metal.

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Roundup: Bowling alley closing

Sport Bowl calling it quitsThe owners of Sport Bowl, a south-side institution for 67 years, plan to close in about a week. The 32-lane bowling alley has struggled since locally based Royal Pin…

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Texas investor enlists former Steak n Shake exec in quest to revive chain

Two executives with longtime ties to The Steak n Shake Co. have joined a dissident Texas investor in his quest to overhaul
the Indianapolis-based restaurant chain. Shareholders who have agreed to work with Sardar Biglari include a former board member
the company once described as a “modern-day founder” of the restaurant chain, along with a former partner in Kelley & Partners
Ltd., the investment firm led by company patriarch E.W. Kelley before his 2003 death.

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CVS to replace downtown IHOP

CVS has filed plans to build a new store where an IHOP now stands at the corner of 16th and Meridian streets. The new pharmacy would replace the iconic…

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Obama taking downtown space

Sen. Barack Obama’s presidential campaign plans to temporarily take over one of the city’s most prominent retail spaces. The campaign has reached a deal to open an office in Flagstar Bank’s former…

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