COLUMBIA CITY, Ind. (WANE) — Downtown Columbia City has seen plenty of changes in recent months thanks to an influx of businesses leaving and entering the space.
In October, Columbia City saw Chapman’s Brewing Company leave its space at 118 W. Van Buren St. In March, Moo-Over — a dessert shop that solely serves items that are gluten free and plant-based, announced it would be moving its location to Fort Wayne.
When Moo-Over made the announcement on Facebook March 18, some people took to the comment section to express their disappointment that a business they enjoyed would no longer be in Columbia City.
“This is devastating for our community,” one comment read.
“Columbia City is still very behind the times in so many ways,” another commenter opined.
While Columbia City Connect Executive Director Niki Keister understands why some people may be disappointed, she hopes the community is able to see that growth is also happening alongside the other changes in downtown.
“It’s really easy to kind of focus on people that are leaving, but there is so much coming into our downtown, and there’s so much to offer and to see and to do here,” Keister said. “It’s a really great place.”
Keister highlighted a slew of new restaurants that have made downtown Columbia City home recently, including Casa Balbina, a Mexican restaurant that opened at the former Chapman’s Brewing Company location March 19.
Keister also noted that downtown Columbia City rebounded from other departures of longtime businesses in 2024 such as The Nook and Ball Furniture, which each now have businesses at those spots.
“I think it’s exciting. I think it’s exciting to see something new come to town,” Keister said. “Already, the three restaurants that I mentioned have seen such explosive growth and just such a warm connection. It’s really neat, and people get excited about the opportunity — I think — to support others.”
Columbia City Connect is a nonprofit organization that prioritizes “elevating and energizing” downtown by working with local businesses and hosting community events such as First Fridays and Movie on the Square.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
