Kids coding center opens in Carmel

A coding center for children and young teens opened recently in Carmel and plans to expand into Fishers and Zionsville before the end of the year.

Code Ninjas, a coding center for those between the ages of 7 and 14 that was founded by entrepreneur David Graham, recently opened its first Indiana location.

Graham, the founder of Coder Camps, opened the first Code Ninjas in 2016 in Houston to give his son a chance to learn coding.

Today, the company has 355 centers in 39 states.

The Carmel location, 2436 E. 146^th St., opened March 18 and is owned and operated by Cathi Canfield, who has plans to open a second one in Fishers and a third in Zionsville.  

Code Ninjas teaches computer coding through game development. The Code Ninjas program is a game-based curriculum made up of nine belts, similar to martial arts. The curriculum is self-paced and taught by Senseis, high school and college students who have experience with coding.

Before finishing the program, students are expected to publish an app in an app store.

The Fishers location will open in June at 11501 Geist Pavilion Drive, Suite 112.

Canfield said she is still looking for space for the Zionsville school, but she expects to open it by the end of the year.

In other news North of 96^th Street:

— Serendipity Labs, a luxury co-working space, is expected to open in Carmel’s Midtown in May. It will occupy the second floor of an office building owned by Ambrose Property Group at 571 Monon Blvd. MJ Insurance is also a tenant of the building. Serendipity Labs operates across the nation, but the Carmel location will be its first in Indiana.

— Ulta Beauty recently opened a new store in Whitestown. The beauty store and salon operates at 6140 Mills Drive in The Shoppes at Whitestown, which is owned by Indianapolis-based RealtyLink. Ulta has stores at Hamilton Town Center, Village Park Plaza in Carmel and at the Fashion Mall in Indianapolis.

— WoodSpring Suites has opened in Whitestown at 6007 Perry Worth Road. The 122-room extended stay hotel held a ribbon cutting March 28 to celebrate its opening. IBJ first reported the hotel was coming in July 2017. It's the town's third hotel.

— The Odyssey, an upscale Asian fusion and sushi restaurant, recently opened in Hamilton Town Center at 13521 Tegler Drive in Noblesville. The restaurant held a grand opening April 1.  

— Root 31, a plant shop, opens Wednesday in downtown Westfield. The store operates at 226 Park St., where it sells indoor and outdoor plants, modern home decor and gifts. The store also offers gardening classes. The store previously operated as a pop-up shop.