Since the city of Indianapolis was founded in 1821, there’s been City Market. The current building, at 222 E. Market St., has housed the market since 1886. Through multiple renovations, vendors have adapted within the wings of the two-story limestone building and stayed open during construction.
On Feb. 29, City Market will close for renovations for two years, as part of the city’s redevelopment plan for the area. This time, 12 businesses are being shut down with it, and they’re not sure if they’ll be part of the new City Market, which doesn’t yet have a new owner.
The renovations are part of a joint venture between the City of Indianapolis and the Indianapolis Department of Metropolitan Development (DMD) and were announced by the city late last year.
While DMD said tenants were notified that the intensity of the construction would require them to move out, vendors said there is little clarity on whether they will be welcomed back to City Market after the reopening in 2026, or what their options are during the two-year construction period.
David and Lily Stockton, owners of Just Cookies, have run their business out of City Market for 35 years. Doing the math, they’ve worked in the building for 25% of its 138-year history. A makeshift sign near their cash register summed up their experience, reading, in part: “The wonderful friendships and memories we created along the way are the hardest parts to leave.”
The Stocktons have seen the booms and wanes that come with owning a small business. Customers flocked in when Indianapolis hosted the Super Bowl in 2012, and when boxer Mike Tyson was on trial across the street at the Indianapolis City-County Building for 13 days in 1992. Over the past several years, fewer people have visited City Market. What came next, then, wasn’t a shock for David Stockton.
In December 2023, the Stocktons attended a tenants meeting and said they found out that they would have to vacate the building within three months. They liquidated their assets and decided to find part-time work elsewhere.
“You know, I just hit 65, so I’m going to do something part-time,” David said. “We’re getting a little long in the tooth to just start over with a new business. They made it abundantly clear that current tenants are not coming back and they’re going in a different direction. What that direction is, I don’t know.”
“You can’t give me a ‘maybe’ after 17 years?”
The city’s redevelopment plan, announced in 2022, aims to continue the city’s “downtown resiliency strategy,” according to Hannah Thomas, chief communications officer for the Indianapolis Department of Metropolitan Development (DMD). The project will be overseen by Citimark and Gershman Partners.
Renovations to the campus will include an 11-story apartment tower on the east wing and a public plaza on the west wing. The 20-story Gold Building will be converted into 350 apartments.
Once reopened in 2026, City Market will be operated under private management, which has not yet been identified, said Thomas, who stepped down from her post on Feb. 23.
Brenda Barrett, who has operated Jack’s Barber Shop in City Market for the past 17 years, said if the new managers care about the City Market, it will be successful when it reopens.
But, she won’t be there for that.
When she allegedly couldn’t get a “yes” or a “no” from the city – which owns City Market – on whether she would be welcomed back after the renovations, Barrett worked to find a new location for her shop.
“You can’t give me a ‘maybe’ after 17 years? That’s ridiculous,” Barrett said.
DMD officials met with City Market tenants not long after the city announced it was seeking proposals for redevelopment in May 2022, Thomas said, and sent a survey to gauge their needs and find out how the city could help them find a new location.
Jack’s Barber Shop will re-open March 4 at 126 N. Delaware St. During her time in City Market, many people, including Indiana Pacers players, have sat in her antique barber chairs. In 2023, Jack’s was recognized as one of the top-rated businesses on Yelp!
As Barrett cut long-time client Rob Trickle’s hair on a Tuesday afternoon, she choked up while reflecting on her time in City Market. Named for her grandfather, who was a medic in World War II, Jack’s Barber Shop helped her start her life in Indianapolis after a move from Iowa.
“I made great friends and connections here,” Barrett said. “I’ve never been late on my rent once, even when we were shut down for the pandemic. I paid all three months that I was forced to be closed. … We were told (by management) just hang in there, keep following the handbook, and you’ll be fine. They misled us, and it’s not fair to the tenants that are left.”
City Market management did not respond to an email request for comment.
Lily Stockton (left) and her husband David Stockton have run Just Cookies inside Indianapolis City Market for 35 years. Credit: Jenna Watson / Mirror Indy 
Cookies for sale at Just Cookies inside Indianapolis City Market. Credit: Jenna Watson / Mirror Indy 
The view from upstairs at Indianapolis City Market. Credit: Jenna Watson / Mirror Indy 
Banners at Indianapolis City Market. Credit: Jenna Watson / Mirror Indy 
Tomlinson Tap Room sits closed inside City Market. Credit: Jenna Watson / Mirror Indy 
Brenda Barrett (right), owner of Jack’s Barber Shop, laughs while cutting Rob Trickle’s hair. Credit: Jenna Watson / Mirror Indy 
The work station of Brenda Barrett, owner of Jack’s Barber Shop. Credit: Jenna Watson / Mirror Indy 
Brenda Barrett prepares to cut customer Rob Trickle’s hair. Credit: Jenna Watson / Mirror Indy 
DaWuan Finley, chef and owner of Chef Wuan’s Kitchen, takes a customer’s order. Credit: Jenna Watson / Mirror Indy 
Indianapolis City Market downtown. Credit: Jenna Watson / Mirror Indy
“We know that God has a plan for us”
DaWaun Finley has run his restaurant, Chef Waun’s Kitchen, out of City Market for a year and a half. He’s looking for a new space, but said he might join the food truck industry if he can’t find a brick-and-mortar shop with reasonable rent. He said current City Market management told him they would try to help them find a new space.
“We’ll see how that goes,” he said with a laugh.
Finley said many of the vendors who were at City Market when he opened his shop are now gone. Those that remain have noticed a considerable drop in patronage.
“The foot traffic is a lot slower than it was when I first got here,” he said.
The new reality for City Market is a far cry from its heyday, as the Stocktons remember it. While they have fond memories of their regular customers, it’s the “market family,” as Lily lovingly refers to her fellow vendors, that they will miss the most.
Their neighbors at Cath’s Coffee and Tea Shop – Souzan Maxymous and Atif Selwanes – developed a friendly rapport with the other couple over the past year.
Cath’s Coffee and Tea Shop has been housed in City Market since 1984. Maxymous and Selwanes took over the shop a year and a half ago and have been looking for a new space since news broke of the renovation plans.
Though they felt a little blindsided by the news, Selwanes said they hope they have an option to reapply to be vendors once the market opens back up in 2026. The rent, he said, is reasonable – which allows them to afford to sell high-quality products from Turkey and Egypt. Beyond the rent, they’ve done a lot to build up their business and its reputation.
“We’ve worked hard to do this, (and) there’s no need to destroy it just because the city will be remodeling the place,” he said. “We are doing our best and keep praying for the situation. We know that God has a plan for us, and I’m sure it will be for the better.”
Mirror Indy reporter Breanna Cooper covers arts and culture. Contact her at breanna.cooper@mirrorindy.org.
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
