An effort to revitalize Muncie's downtown has been strengthened by the growth of higher education and health care in the area.
Michael Hicks, director of the Center for Business and Economic Research, said residents have had a hard time accepting that Muncie's status as a manufacturing town has declined, and they have a hard time realizing higher education and health care is its future.
"I think there are a ton of residents in Delaware County who don't get that we've hit bottom in manufacturing, and the old mill town we were — the glass town, the auto parts town ... We still have some of those factories, but that's not enough to sustain Muncie," he said.
The two sectors are important to local businesses because Ball State, Ivy Tech Community College and IU Health Ball Memorial are located so close to downtown. Muncie Downtown Development's efforts, as well as the addition of Ivy Tech Community College, has allowed the once deteriorating area to begin rebuilding, according to an economic feasibility study done by Ball State's CBER.
"We have a big burst of Ivy Tech downtown, and I think as time passes, it will become more apparent that the jobs in Muncie, and physical improvements downtown, are directly correlated with the growth of education and health in the city," Hicks said.
Cheryl Crowder, event director for the Muncie Downtown Development, said that 10 years ago, downtown Muncie was an abandoned area everyone was scared to go to.
"About 80 percent of the businesses had moved out of downtown," she said. "It was dirty and kind of scary and abandoned. It was just not a real inviting place."
The addition of bars, restaurants, shops and Ivy Tech Community College helped rejuvenate the area, Crowder said. For the first time ever, downtown buildings have apartments to rent out on the second and third floors, and downtown hosts events throughout the year, from family-friendly events such as Ribfest to the drinkfest for adults known as Muncie Gras.
The area went from being a ghost town to only having a few empty buildings, Crowder said.
"We went through a typical transition in the ‘70s that a lot of downtowns went through," she said. "I don't think we're unusual in how that occurred here. I think we're exceptional in terms of renovations and the process here. How we went about it was novel and we were very successful."
Mike Martin, owner of Doc's Music Hall, said after years of trying, his bar became an 18 and up venue at the beginning of summer.
"When it opened it ‘92, it didn't sell liquor at all, and that was the vision, for it to be for all ages to enjoy entertainment and live rock 'n' roll because there wasn't anywhere like that," he said. "Just with different laws, it became all 21 for awhile, but that was never what was wanted. It was just what had to be done."
Martin said he worked with Indiana Excise Police in order to make sure he went through the proper steps so minors could enjoy live entertainment, including a wall so the bar is blocked off from people underage. Extra security works on the weekends to ensure minors don't drink.
"In no way do we support underage drinking," he said. "We just want everyone to be able to have a good time and have the opportunity to hear live music."
One way to enjoy live music, Martin said, is during Muncie MusicFest, an annual music festival in the streets and indoor venues of downtown. About 50 bands will perform on three different stages for the event Saturday. Martin said it will be sure to attract patrons to businesses such as Doc's, the Silo, the Heorot and the Fickle Peach.
"That is an event specifically targeted at Ball State and a younger audience, just to get them downtown and get them comfortable with what's down here, and checking out the music," he said.
Without the proper execution made by Downtown Development, the revitalization effort could have easily fallen flat, Crowder said. With a national unemployment rate of 9.1 percent, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the worst economic state since the Great Depression, Downtown Development has hit plenty of roadblocks.
"Our organization is a non-for-profit organization, so funding is always an issue for us, just to keep the office doors open," she said. "We're a staff of two people, and everything we try to do downtown, as far as marketing goes, all has a dollar attached to them."
Crowder said financial restraints are always an issue, and renovating buildings isn't an inexpensive proposition for people either, especially during hard economic times.
"We certainly have a long way to go, it's not anywhere close to being finished," she said. "But looking at the progress we've made over the past 10 years, we've done a great deal to bring new businesses downtown and create a neighborhood people want to be in."
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For more information about Muncie MusicFest, click here
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