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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowLockerbie hardware store owner Steve Fusek confirmed Tuesday afternoon that he is considering moving his business to 10th and Pennsylvania streets but said he is a long way away from clearing the hurdles to make that happen.
Fusek said a story that IBJ published earlier today cast the relocation of Fusek’s True Value Hardware as far more likely than it actually is—given uncertainties related to securing the parking he wants for the new location, the cost of renovating the new space and other factors.
“For me, it is way ahead of reality,” Fusek said of the original story, which was based on filings with the Indianapolis Historic Preservation Commission.
The original story did not quote Fusek, who had not yet responded to a request for comment when it was published.
Steve and Sue Fusek opened the hardware store at its current, 10,000-square-foot location at 350 E. New York St. in Lockerbie Marketplace in June 2004.
The Fuseks have the prospective new location—a 14,580-square-foot building at 1011 N. Pennsylvania St.—under contract to purchase, said Greg Day, whose engineering firm, Jarrett Engineering, currently occupies the building.
Steve Fusek said among the appeals of the new location is the presence of more drive-by traffic and the opportunity to own, rather than rent, space.
According to filings with the INHP, which is expected to discuss the project in a non-binding preliminary review during its meeting on Wednesday, the move also would give the store space to add a garden center.
According to an IHPC staff report, several variances of development standards would need to be considered for the project to move forward.
The 1011 Pennsylvania St. building, constructed in the 1920s, was originally the Penn-Ten Garage, before later being used as a car dealership and a furniture store.
Customers would enter the new True Value from the south side of the building, according to elevations provided to the city.
The St. Joseph Historic Neighborhood Association said in a July 30 letter to the IHPC it believes “the building is a perfect fit for a hardware store,” and that the development would “boost visibility and inject some vigor” into the corridor.
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Not that 10th and Penn is so far from the current location, but for me, one of the best things about Fusek’s being at the Lockerbie spot is the ability to do a “one-stop-shop” there, along with Needler’s and Classic Cleaners. So I (somewhat selfishly) hope they don’t move.