(New Carlisle, IN) - A little storefront in New Carlisle has sprung back to life with a business collective that celebrated a grand opening Friday night.

 

The collection of six businesses is nestled in a building in the heart of downtown New Carlisle. Locals know it as the original location of Moser’s Café. Molly Hannon bought the building for her own design and architecture business, Paladin Design House, but realized she had some extra space for other businesses to occupy.

 

“Originally it was just going to be a building renovation,” Hannon said. “It was just going to be my office space with an apartment upstairs.” But Hannon connected with some other small business owners who were looking for downtown space. It started with a local florist who was operating out of her house and grew from there. “It just all happened kind of organically, which is great,” Hannon said. “There’s a mix of people here and the businesses and personalities is pretty exciting.”

 

The small businesses include the florist, a local fresh produce vendor, a yoga/Pilates studio, massage therapy, and Hannon’s own general store and lunch counter, which her 10-year-old son is helping run. Her design business has been relegated to a desk in the corner of the space. But Hannon loves sharing the old store with other entrepreneurs.

 

Hannon is a New Prairie High School graduate and studied architecture at Notre Dame. After living in South Bend for a few years, Hannon missed the small town ambiance of New Carlisle.

 

With the recent closure of the large, decades-old Village Shoppes, New Carlisle’s downtown was in need of a shot in the arm. Hannon hopes her store is proof of a resurgence. “There’s some new blood coming in,” she said. “I think it will be good for everybody to feed off of each other.”

 

The new storefront in New Carlisle will be open Mondays through Saturdays 9:30-1:30 Central time or by appointment.