Demolition of an Era

I've been watching from my window over the last couple of weeks, as the building where I started out in downtown Muncie is being slowly demolished. It's like saying goodbye to a past that happened a long time ago, while my future unfolds before me.
When they first ripped the facade off the storefront at 304 South Walnut Street, my mind flooded with memories of more than 12 years ago. My bright blue sponge-painted entryway walls that evolved over a series of all-nighters, now exposed for all the world to see.



In 1994 I opened a small gift shop at 304 S. Walnut, back when Downtown Muncie had trees, cement pillars, and little more than big dreams. The Muncie Children's Museum was next door to the south, and the Mitchell Building across the street was home to the short-lived Australian museum and restaurant. Danner's Books and Great Destinations travel agency were also across the street; Doc's was still called the COC (Creative Opportunity Center) and ran by volunteers.



The spot at 304 S. Walnut had been a Jazzercise studio at some point before I rented it. When we moved in, it was a drab gray storefront with every single piece of metal trim on the inside painted in a different primary color - red, blue, yellow and green, on the inside AND all the trim along the windows in the entryway.


BEFORE



AFTER


I kept my shop in Downtown Muncie for nearly eight years, through what I laughingly refer to as the "dark ages," before the renovation. It's heartening to see how far we've grown since my relatively short time here.
The destruction of "my old building" symbolizes, to me, the end of an era, a clearing of the old to make way for the new and wonderful things happening - not just in my own life, but also to our downtown neighborhood.
There are lots of new construction and development projects happening; we have some new specialty shops like Cassella's Kitchen and the new organic foods market; we've a new director of Downtown Development with some new ideas; and there's been a renewed interest in improvement of our neighborhood by the Downtown Business Council, with some fresh, new faces coming on board to help.
Growth is a continual process, and I shall continue to watch from my window.