Store owners want to see downtown Lowell blossom

Locating a business in an historic downtown has its rewards and challenges.

There's the quaint atmosphere of the old-time buildings and in contrast, there's the upkeep and maintenance necessary to keep those buildings functioning.

On one hand, shops are all within walking distance; on the other, parking and traffic flow can be a challenge.

For Kay Bennett, co-owner of the Cornerstone Mansion, turning an old Victorian home into a restaurant is the fulfillment of a dream. She has lived in Lowell for 36 years and believes the downtown is the right place for her business.

While the previous owners did some of the restoration work to the circa 1848 mansion, the only building on the north side of the street to survive the downtown fire in the late 1800s, it takes loving care to bring it to its original glory.

Bennett would like to see the people who buy the buildings and locate their shops in town have a love for the history it has to offer.

"Really, what I want to see is people who possess these buildings to have an interest in fixing them up and restoring the ambiance of the old facades, giving it the look it needs to create a kind of welcome," she said.

She would like to see an artist's rendering of what a refurbished downtown could look like to help people envision the future.

"There are a lot of people who could be great in different businesses, it's just that little extra spark that lets them know this is better than someplace else," Bennett said.

Traffic along the state highway can be a plus. It brings in new patrons who were driving by, but it also makes the roadway difficult to cross. She would like to see the traffic slowed a bit, perhaps by an additional stop light.

Bennett said there are several shops in Lowell right now, such as The Davis Store and Sickenger's Jewelry, that are very grounded. She said she believes the downtown will be able to build from that.

"We do have a few open areas right at this time and that happens. I don't think that is any reason to feel defeated," she said.

Tom McVey, co-owner of McVey's restaurant, said his business has been doing what he expected since opening Sept. 1, and holiday bookings are started to role in.

He decided to open the restaurant after touring the building in March. The previous owners were leaving behind the restaurant equipment, which made it an easy transition.

It was not necessary to retrofit the historic building to house a restaurant, but there are still challenges to keep it going.

"This is a real old building. It's like 100 years old. There's constant upkeep," McVey said.

Another challenge is getting people to realize the restaurant is tucked away in the historic downtown.

"We are trying to get people to realize we're here and there are other places around," McVey said.

"There's a lot of traffic on Indiana 2. The more businesses we get in here, the better we'll do. It always seems like the more restaurants in an area, the more people are around. Whatever you might lose to some other restaurant, you pick up from people locating downtown."

Margery Beier, owner of The Davis Store, believes people like to shop the unique stores of a downtown like Lowell.

Beier would know. For 128 years, four generations of her family has operated The Davis Store in downtown Lowell. She attributes the success of her family business to the support it has received from the people of Lowell.

"I still think you're always going to have people who enjoy shopping a town instead of a mall," she said. In a mall, shoppers can find the same shops from here to San Francisco. The individuality, she said, is gone.

She can remember when the downtown was filled with stores like Royal Blue, National Tea and IGA. She would like to see a diversity of stores open to help generate walk-in traffic for all the businesses.

"I think we could use a shoe store. I think we could use a men's store," Beier said.

"You get labeled for a long time. Maybe you're too full of antique stores. That becomes, in a sense, a drawback. In the other sense, it helps our business, too."

Beier is encouraged by the new shops opening and the work the town and merchant's association are doing to bring shoppers into the downtown area.

"We do have a lot to offer in Lowell. There's a lot of good things going on right now."