Downtown’s Broadway seeing a boom

FORT WAYNE, IND. (WANE) - The recession isn't stopping a flurry of rebuilding activity from taking place along downtown Fort Wayne’s Broadway corridor. NewsChannel 15 first told you about a public-private rehabilitation venture a year ago.

"A lot of things have happened! There have been a lot of comings and goings," said Steve Shine, Broadway business owner and one of the leaders of the Broadway Corridor Project.

Two big 'goings' would be Chappell's and Catablu, yet their exits actually spurred new activity. Chappell's closed in May of this year, but that won't be the case come Tuesday, September, 29.

"There's just been a really, really strong demand," said Chappell's owner Gary Chappell.

Gary Chappell closed the original Broadway location, which opened in January of 1985, to focus on a new north side location off of Coldwater Road. After netting a leadership team, he's happy to be re-opening.

"In 25 years I've seen some of the good times on Broadway and some of the bad times on Broadway and right now I just really see a lot of growth," Chappell said.

Catablu recently moved to a location in Southwest Fort Wayne. The old Broadway location is now a jazz club and an event center called "The Philmore on Broadway". The building underwent a substantial renovation.

El Patron has also opened a Broadway location for its local Mexican restaurant chain.

Perhaps one of the most visible buildings under renovation is at the corner of Broadway and Jefferson Boulevard. The old Betty Brite building has been under construction for the past few months. Officials say the owner is still studying the ultimate use for the building while the work continues.

Renovations are also taking place on at least two other Broadway businesses.

"I saw it deteriorating because our yarn shop is right behind it and our customers were using the vacant parking lot and so I really wanted to save it and restore it," said Jan Bell who owns Knitting off Broadway.

Jan Bell will set up shop inside an 1890's building along Broadway, which will allow her to expand her current selection of knitting supplies and equipment, and will also allow her to offer a classroom. Upstairs she'll rent loft-style apartments.

She expects her store to open in October, with the apartments being move-in ready by early next year.

A drive by the Metro building, originally a hardware store decades ago, shows another renovation in progress.

"We have two professional tenants that will be coming in. We have a web design business and an office equipment business" said Brian Schaper of Metro Real Estate.  Schaper expects the companies to be able to move in come early next year.

All the projects and progress come despite the recession, and just a year after the project was announced.

"Its taken team work. It's taken a few people to get the whole process jumpstarted and it’s taken bringing the city in as an important element," Shine said.

In fact several businesses credit the city’s façade grant program and the Harrison Square project as giving the program an extra push in the right direction.

Broadway business owners meet monthly with the ultimate goal of transforming the area into a version of the Broadripple village in Indianapolis.