MUNCIE — A downtown Muncie business institution has closed.
The Towne Boutique, a Walnut Street fixture for decades, closed this week and all its clothing inventory has been sold, family members of its longtime owner, Mattie Coleman, told The Star Press.
Coleman, who turned 90 this week, has been ill since spring, her daughter, Equilla Wainwright, said.
In the months since Coleman's illness, family members said they couldn't come to an agreement with the owner of the building, in the 200 block of South Walnut Street, for continuing operations of the store after Coleman improved. The last day on Coleman's lease was Thursday, Aug. 31.
The Towne Boutique sold a style of dressy clothing especially popular in church settings, including stylish hats in particular.
"Mom has a huge customer base with churches," Wainwright said. "So many people know her for her hats and dress apparel." Coleman traveled each summer before this year to church conventions to connect with that customer base.