CARMEL — On Wednesday afternoon, Matt Rider is giving a customer a haircut inside Cuts on College Barbershop.
He's been at the corner of College Avenue and 106th Street for a year now.
Right next door to him is Versed Skateboard Shop owned by Aaron Vaughn.
"We're like a destination type of business so we kept those customers coming back in, but we lost a lot of the foot traffic," said Vaughn.
Both used to own businesses at Monon Square. Vaughn started Minus Skateboard there and Rider Monon Square Barber.
"It was really good because we were right off the Monon. We were next to Main Street, right there off 126th, so we were in a perfect centered area," said Vaughn.
"It was centrally located for all our customers. There were awesome businesses in that park," said Rider.
In 2018, the city bought Monon Square. They gave tenants three years notice to move out before it was demolished for a new business. Most of the businesses, at the time, were on month-to-month leases.
The city says they offered help in relocating them.
"They made one effort in trying to help us find a new space, but that space was not really feasible in the amount of time we had to leave, and that space would be up and running," said Vaughn.
"The city hired a broker to help the businesses relocate, and the proof is in the pudding because almost 20 of those business did relocate to places in Carmel," said Henry Mestetsky, executive director of the Carmel Redevelopment Commission. "I think the city has done more for these businesses than anybody would ever do."
Currently, Monon Square is an empty parking lot filled with a dirt pile and construction equipment.
"Oh, you mean where they torn it down and haven’t started rebuilding yet," said Rider.
But Mestetsky says work has been done to get the land ready and the project is almost ready to begin.
"The electricity is gone. They're about to put new utilities underground, they are totally redoing the road network. It's not as simple as saying 'I don't see building yet why can't I still be there,'" said Mestetsky.
They're making way for a $100 million investment that includes retail, office space, restaurants, apartments and for sale condos.
"The more we build out, the more people want to be here, the more tourists want to come. We're building on to what people want — a more walkable, vibrant community," said Mestetsky.
As part of the first phases, Veteran's Way will be expanded. That starts later this year.
Building what will be called Monon Square North will start at the end of the year and be an 18-month project.
Some of the business that relocated out of Monon Square to other Carmel locations include:
- Roma Ristorante
- School of Rock
- Rangeline Chiropractic
- Antique Emporium
- PJ’s Alterations
- Music Playhouse
- Club Canine
- Future Velo
- Silk Mountain
- Creations
- Monon Square Barber
- ShopSimple
- Taste Bakery
- Xpress Tobacco
- Minus Skateboard
- Cricklewood Custom Carpentry
- Union Brewery
