Farmers markets aren’t just for the summer anymore. Once upon a time, Indy’s farmers markets shut down around the same time that our cornfields turned withered and brown. But as interest in shopping locally increased (sidenote: can you believe Animal, Vegetable, Miracle came out 17 years ago?), area innovators have found ways to make those markets a year-round affair. For 16 seasons, the Indy Winter Farmers Market has been one of those cold weather exchanges, but this year it has a new operator: 16 Tech Community Corporation is taking over from previous manager Growing Places, with a plan to “continue its legacy,” 16 Tech president Emily Krueger says via statement. This year, the market will kick operations off at 16 Tech’s AMP Food Hall (1220 Waterway Blvd.) on Saturday, November 16, and will run weekly from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. through Saturday, April 26, 2025.
Zaire Franklin is getting into the frozen dessert game. The Colts linebacker/social media delight (a recent hit is, “Just cause you got a lot of followers don’t mean you know what you’re talking about. All you internet dweebs need to relax.”) has picked up a side hustle as a franchisee of Rita’s Italian Ice & Frozen Custard, a Pennsylvania-based chain with locations across the U.S. His shop opened on Wednesday in McCordsville at 5817 Main St. (317-747-3709). “Rita’s has always been a part of my happiest memories,” Franklin says in a press release. “Opening a Rita’s allows me to create that same joy for others in the community.”
Local sweet stop Pana Donuts has opened its eighth location. The shop, which also serves boba drinks, pastries, and pressed sandwiches, opened at 2284 E. 116th St. in Carmel earlier this month. If you’re looking for an incentive to stop by, it’s also handing out a free doughnut with every purchase through Saturday.
International drink company Smoothie King is expanding across the Indy area. The company, which was founded in Louisiana in 1973, was sold to a South Korean franchisee in 2012. In the years since, it’s opened over a thousand locations and garnered dubious honors such as the Center for Science in the Public Interest’s 2013 Xtreme Eating award for its calorie and sugar counts. (The company has since boosted its number of under-1,000-calorie options, to be fair.) The IBJ reports that four new shops will open in Indy in 2025, including one in Speedway, another in Franklin, and outposts at 8603 S. Emerson Ave. and 7411 N. Keystone Ave.
Amberson Coffee & Grocer is moving into the bean biz. The third-wave coffee shop in a 1930s gas station at 401 S. College Ave. has been in business since 2020, serving drinks from a variety of roasters as well as locally baked pastries and house-made dishes. Now it’s launching a roastery, with an anticipated opening sometime this month. I’m watching the roastery’s freshly minted Instagram account for more details and will report back when they emerge.
Indiana’s first Alamo Drafthouse Cinema will open soon. The Austin-based movie chain is known for its in-theater dining program and its no-talking policy, which combined have allowed it to launch 39 outposts across the country. Its latest, at 3898 Lafayette Rd., is expected to open in early November, a source close to the project tells me. A grand opening date is expected to be announced next week.
As if this week’s Feed wasn’t sweet enough … Soda chain Swig is opening two Indy locations in the coming weeks. Watch for one at 5145 Noggle Way in Greenwood, which has a projected opening date of September 26. A second, set for 9510 N. Meridian St., is expected to open on October 6. Both will serve concoctions such as Life’s A Peach (Dr. Pepper, vanilla, peach flavoring, and half-and-half) and the Waikiki (Coke with pineapple flavoring and coconut cream).
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