As spring turned to summer, the Velvet Plum Vintage and Consignments in downtown Noblesville posted increasingly frantic messages on Facebook, as business suffered amid ongoing construction.
“We NEED you to still come downtown to enjoy your favorite shops, restaurants, and hang outs,” the shop wrote on April 28. The next day: “We are all OPEN today! Where are you??? We’re waiting…………………….”
The posts encouraging customers to stop by despite Logan Street construction in downtown Noblesville continued through May and June. Then, on June 22, the latest Facebook post announced Vintage Plum’s Logan Street location will be permanently closing in July.
“Unfortunately, the downtown construction has won the war and we can no longer remain open,” the shop wrote. “Sales have plummetted (sic) and no one comes in to shop these days. I know we look closed but we are actually OPEN.”
The Velvet Plum’s last day after six years in the 800 block of Logan Street will be July 15. The shop’s other location a block over at 939 Conner Street will remain open.
Logan Street construction began this February and is expected to end in November. The block-wide first phase of the project, part of the larger “Embrace Downtown” effort, aims to bring more pedestrians to the shopping area by shortening the crosswalks to create a perception of narrow streets which city officials say should slow driving. Construction is also replacing aging infrastructure, redoing landscaping and adding bike parking and artwork. The $8.1 million construction budget is funded by Noblesville, primarily from food and beverage taxes.
When construction began, Noblesville pledged to reduce the impact on business foot traffic and revenue by working in phases built around the holiday season and launching programs, such as social media and newspaper ads, to encourage shopping. Residents could get stamps from stores with each purchase and enter a full stamp sheet to win a $250 gift card.
Noblesville Mayor Chris Jensen said Vintage Plum’s Facebook post was “disingenuous” and laid the blame on construction without telling the whole picture. He said other stores on the block received record sales in the past few months. Jensen said he wishes Velvet Plum well, and that there will be a small business coming into their former spot soon.
“I think this project has been incredibly well supported by not just customers going to downtown but by the business community,” Jensen said. “They see the long-term benefit of [construction]. I was disappointed to see the Velvet Plum closing their doors, but to be honest, they’ve been a business that hasn’t really been engaged very much with the city, certainly have not taken advantage of a lot of the programs we or Noblesville Main Street has laid out.”
For years, downtown construction has surrounded local stores. In 2024, Conner Street from 14th Street to 6th Street was closed while crews tore out 100-year-old subsurface brick. Around the same time, the city rebuilt Pleasant Street and completed a new bridge over the White River to ease traffic on east-west streets in downtown.
Jensen said his office is focused on supporting businesses through his visits to shops and a staffer responsible for the downtown business district.
“I know it’s easy to go on social media and post a statement blaming others, but we prefer to have conversations with our business community,” Jensen said.
The Velvet Plum did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the store’s closure.
Update: This story has been updated to add a response from Noblesville Mayor Chris Jensen.
Lucy Tobier is the politics reporting intern for the Indianapolis Star. She can be reached at lucy.tobier@indystar.com or on X at @TobierLucy
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Noblesville store announces closure, blaming downtown construction
Reporting by Lucy Tobier, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
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By Lucy Tobier, Indianapolis Star | USA TODAY Network
