Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe Now
Several restaurants and businesses have recently opened or are planning new locations in the north suburbs of Indianapolis. Here’s a rundown:
Ace Hardware
An Indianapolis-based developer plans to build a 20,000-square-foot Ace Hardware store in the Village of WestClay in Carmel.
KennMar LLC announced it will build the store on 1.77 acres at the southwest corner of Harleston Street and Towne Road.
Construction is expected to begin later this year and be complete in early 2024. The store is expected to open in the second quarter of 2024.
Plans were announced in October 2020 to build a Family Express gas station and convenience store on the property in WestClay.
The controversial proposal, which led to residents placing yard signs that read, “No Gas Station,” was dropped after Carmel passed an ordinance requiring gas stations to be at least 500 feet away from residential property.
Tropical Smoothie Cafe
Atlanta-based Tropical Smoothie Cafe plans to open its eighth central Indiana location this summer in Noblesville.
The 1,800-square-foot cafe is under construction and will be located on the city’s east side, at 11170 E. 146th Street.
Franchisee James Volpert told IBJ his goal is to open the cafe by the end of July or early August.
The Noblesville spot will be Volpert’s sixth franchise location. He also operates locations in Carmel, Fishers, Indianapolis, Westfield and Whitestown.
Volpert also plans to open additional locations in Lebanon and Hamilton County.
The first Tropical Smoothie Cafe opened in 1997 in Destin, Florida, and the first franchise opened in Tallahassee, Florida, the following year. Since then, the company has opened more than 1,150 stores in 44 states, plus Washington, D.C.
Sierra
Discount outdoor retailer Sierra plans to open its first store in Indiana in Carmel on May 20.
Sierra will occupy a 17,855-square-foot space just north of Interstate 465 at 10025 N. Michigan Road. The location formerly was home to an OfficeMax store. It’s in a strip of stores at West Carmel Marketplace that includes Best Buy, HomeGoods and Marshalls.
Sierra has 66 stores in 25 states, including five in Illinois, five in Michigan, two in Ohio, and one in Kentucky. It offers outdoor and activewear apparel, footwear and gear from more than 3,000 brand names at discount prices.
Clothing brands on its website include Eddie Bauer, Hurley, Telluride and Columbia Sportswear, while it also sells a variety of cycling, hiking, camping, running, yoga and hunting gear.
Framingham, Massachusetts-based TJX Cos. Inc. acquired Sierra in 2012 for $200 million. The parent company also purchased the domain name Sierra.com in 2018 from California-based video game publisher Activision Publishing Inc.
TJX Cos. also owns department store chains T.J. Maxx, Marshalls and HomeGoods.
ClusterTruck
ClusterTruck has resumed making food deliveries in Carmel and Fishers nearly a year after ending service in both cities.
The ClusterTruck kitchen in Carmel closed in April 2022, while the company’s kitchen in Fishers closed in July 2022.
California-based Mix Food Hall now operates in-store food halls at both former ClusterTruck locations, which are inside Kroger grocery stores at 1217 S. Rangeline Road in Carmel and 9979 E. 116th St. in Fishers
ClusterTruck was founded in Indianapolis in 2015. It uses its own kitchens and drivers to deliver meals, and attempts to get orders to customers within eight minutes after the food is prepared. The company uses proprietary software and technology to manage the process.
The company operates kitchens in Broad Ripple, Castleton, downtown Indianapolis, Columbus, Ohio, and Kansas City, Missouri.
Rush Bowls
Rush Bowls, a Colorado-based fast-casual restaurant, is set to open Saturday at Nickel Plate Station in Fishers.
The restaurant at 11649 Maple St. will offer multiple fruit and vegetable-based meals in a bowl and smoothie options.
Rush Bowls has 45 locations that are either open or in development. The chain has a restaurant at 1421 N. Dunn St. in Bloomington.
Nickel Plate Station is a 237-unit apartment development, which is part of a larger $157 million project that includes the six-story, 180,000-square-foot First Internet Bank headquarters, the future five-story Hotel Nickel Plate and rehabilitation of older buildings in downtown Fishers.
Please enable JavaScript to view this content.
