Crossroads merchants await influx of arts enthusiasts from Kauffman Center

Date: June 11, 2007

Author: Kauffman Center

A large undertaking like the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts takes time and patience. Although Crossroads District merchants face some challenges with the bustle and dust of construction, most agree that the finished product will be worth any inconvenience.

Often referred to as the "Midwest Soho," the Crossroads District serves as a haven for artists and entrepreneurs hungry to showcase their creativity. Only a decade ago, without money or connections, these artists moved into this historic area and turned it into a chic and attractive destination.

The Crossroads occupies a mile-wide radius around 20th Street and Baltimore. It’s nestled between downtown financial offices and the Freight House District, with I-35 and Troost Ave. to the east and west. Crossroads business owners and artists say they are looking forward to the buzz that the Kauffman Center will bring to the city—and their own neighborhood.

Suzie Aron, former Crossroads Community Association president, anticipates an increase in the amount of visitors to the area as a result of the Kauffman Center.  "Our retailers are excited about the fact that all kinds of new people will come to the Crossroads," says Aron. "With the new Kauffman Center, there is an increased incentive to make the trip. Once they do come, they will hopefully come back to our restaurants and our shops."

Kelly Kuhn, co-owner of Blue Gallery, feels that anything that gets traffic in the neighborhood affects businesses in a positive way. "The Kauffman Center will attract national, and potentially international, performing arts enthusiasts that will come to the city because of the Kauffman Center," says Kuhn. "Because we are an arts-related business, we hope we will also be embraced by that same type of person."

It may seem as though the magnitude of the Kauffman Center might overshadow the integrity and long-standing quaintness of the Crossroads District.  But merchants see the addition only as fuel for the rapidly growing popularity of the area.  "The Kauffman Center is going to do some incredible things both nationally and internationally," says Birdies co-owner Peregrine Honig, who designs and sells lingerie in her shop on 18th Street. "But what I am most excited about is the fact that I have a tiny little business in an area that the Kauffman Center will put on the map."

Still, such a massive undertaking involves patience and sacrifice of surrounding businesses. As construction progresses, so do problems with access. Roadblocks and construction workers, decreases in parking spaces and an increasing number of parking citations issued have all created obstacles for surrounding patrons.

Established businesses like Art Lithocraft, which has been located in the Crossroads District since 1956 and specializes in pre-press for the printing industry, are adjusting to such recent complications. "Many businesses that have been here for 60 years, including ours, were used to simple street parking," says Byron Pendleton, vice president of Art Lithocraft. "Now, with a rise in ticketing, we have to shuffle our cars around every hour. In a business environment you work eight-hour stretches, not one."

For businesses not directly associated with the arts, it's sometimes difficult to see the benefits that lie at the end of all the construction. Yet, Crossroads business owners are doing their best to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

“Ultimately, the Kauffman Center will be good for the area,” says Pendleton. “Once construction is over and there is an effort to improve the parking situation, I can see it bringing a lot to the city.”

This article was researched and written by Kauffman Center intern Suzanne Galblum, who will be a sophomore in arts management at Indiana University this fall.