The Magic of Downtown

Your feet hit the pavement as your mind wanders over the daily to-dos but is interrupted by intricate details woven into wood and concrete. The tapestry of tall, historic buildings lining the streets of downtown invite wonder and comfort. Your feet seem to have a mind of their own and you feel an ease in trusting where they are taking you. They have the steering wheel and you get to watch it all unfold. Their pace is assured and each step takes you right where you were meant to be, as you were meant to be there. A chance encounter, a new found treasure or even a familiar rhythm. 

This, is the magic of Downtown Wabash, Indiana.

The warm, tingling smell of espresso washes over you as you sweep into Modoc’s Market. The humming chatter escorts you down the coffee bar as your order is placed. Your eyes wander between the space and new and familiar faces. 

Standing on the corner outside the coffee shop, each direction presents new opportunities and adventures. From here, your feet will take you across Miami Street to Charley Creek Inn, begin your boutique touring down Market Street, or take in the adjacent Eagles Theatre whose marquee by night is a bright reminder of Downtown Wabash’s arts and cultural developments sprawling outward. 

Find local art showcased throughout Downtown in places like art-centric dining space 4 Partners in Crime, custom framing specialists Borders & Beyond, the Clark Gallery residing in the Honeywell Center, historic art archives in the Wabash Carnegie Public Library and Wabash County Museum, and an array of unique shops like Eclectic Shoppe, Bellazo, Filament Tattoo Co. and Visit Wabash County.

Within these streets, you can effortlessly move from observing a dance performance to taking a dance lesson or admire local art to registering for an artist workshop.

You can take a stroll in nature then later dine, shop, visit a museum, make a custom candle, find your wedding dress or have a photoshoot. Create art and get it custom-framed then board a beautiful Trolley to tour through Wabash County, or spend a day on the mighty Wabash River.

It’s incredible what you can find in Downtown Wabash at any given time.

All that Downtown Wabash hosts is big and vibrant for such a small footprint. And that sparkle is magical, no doubt. But have you ever felt the little tingle of anticipation as you creak open the door of Reading Room Books to be greeted by the reverence of hundreds of years of pages that surround you?

The rows of books stack high and guide you gently through halls and alcoves holding countless adventures and observations. Your feet take you around the space intuitively and your eyes wander generations of book spines. And by the time you open that door again to exit, you’re teleported back to your day. Rounding the corner, you can feel the sweep of this again through the many boutiques that line Market, Canal, Wabash and Miami Streets.

Bellazo’s Good Vibes sign beckons and the rich scent inside draws you into the space that the sign depicts. Signature scents and Wabash, Indiana apparel are staples of the shop, but the ever-changing scape of style is truly magical to behold. It holds the space for expression and feeling like you can take a beat to relax there. So many places in Downtown Wabash feel this way and it is not to be overlooked in a time when we are all in such a rush. 

Each month, the First Friday event pulses static through the air in the hours before it begins. As vendors make their final preparations, business owners give their shops a final look over, parking lots fill up and people flood the streets, you can see plain as day, the magic of Downtown Wabash, Indiana.

Food trucks line familiar patches where regulars line up with patient anticipation. Teenagers find new matching trinkets that bond them eternally, while an older couple shares ice cream on the bench outside of the Charley Creek Inn: Ice Cream & Candy Shoppe.

The Farmers Market is a weekly agreement shared among the community to celebrate this magic once again. Its growth is undeniable and the new and unfurling, seasonal blooms are beautiful to behold. New and longstanding vendors alike bring their beautiful, homegrown and hand-crafted treasures with old traditions woven into new ones. From the arrival of the yearly anticipated sweet corn to finding new favorite market staples, not only are the goods quite good, the familiar faces and experiences continue to root deeper. 

As if it weren’t enough to see the magic of Downtown Wabash in the monthly First Friday events, weekly Farmers Market, trolley tours and rotating live entertainment, there is so much magic in the quiet corners of this place, too. If we are truly talking about the magic of Downtown Wabash, Indiana, the heart of the magic is in the heart of its people.

It’s in the people who built these buildings and adorned them with care and individuality.

It’s in the heart of the people who restore and maintain these spaces, who build their businesses inside, and those that reside in them.

It’s in the beating heart of those who work each day to make it the best experience possible for those who work, live and visit. 

It’s embroidered in the heart of those who visit and contribute to the rich soil so many beautiful seeds have been sown in.

There is something about Downtown Wabash, Indiana that tickles little parts of your heart and curiosity, especially as it deepens its roots and branches out wider. A stretch of a few streets comprise an enormous wealth of history, culture, art, entertainment, shopping, food and drink, nature and honest potential.

It’s a beautiful place to visit, to work, to live, to dream. I can’t help but stumble upon new pockets of beauty at every pass no matter how many times my own feet take me through the streets, along the brickwork and through the diverse network of alleyways each with a personality of their own.

When your feet hit the pavement of Downtown Wabash, you’ll feel its magic, too.