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Story by Sally M. Snell
Photos by Michael C. Snell
Published: Jul/Aug 2001

In St. Charles, Ill., visitors see likenesses of foxes everywhere, including this one on the Main Street Bridge.

A community, like a person, cannot live without a beating heart.

Downtown commercial districts are considered the heart of the community, but economies shift, shopping habits change and corporate dollars often skip over downtowns, stilling the heart of small cities.

Enter the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Main Street. The Main Street Program provides local entities with a successful working structure for revitalizing their core commercial district. Communities build upon the downtown assets–historic architecture and a sense of place–to restore commercial health. Visitors to a Main Street community may discover a flourishing nightlife, as in St. Charles, Ill.; and a diverse town square shopping district, as in Noblesville, Ind.

St. Charles

Though only a one-hour drive from downtown Chicago, St. Charles, Ill., (population, approximately 28,000) carries itself with the air of a small town and a dash of French provincial.

Likenesses of foxes are everywhere in St. Charles. According to an 1831 legend, these four sons of Charlemagne guard an integral component of the community: industry, education, religious expression and recreation.

Still, St. Charles faced an empty downtown in the last decades of the 20th century. Community members embraced the Illinois Main Street Program, and in less than a decade, St. Charles has traded its empty storefronts for a flourishing nightlife and a myriad of shopping opportunities.

Cornering the market

Century Corners is a neighborhood of Victorian-era homes and shops east of the Fox River. Each shop holds a unique treasure. Of note are Scentimental Gardens and Town House Books and Café.

Scentimental Gardens is a multi-level landscape of a gardener’s mind. Each corner is tucked with antiques, herbs and botanicals, seeds for summer planting or fresh tomato leaf scented candles for winter wistfulness.

In an age of elephantine national bookseller chains, Town House Books and Café is an independent pleasure. From travelogues to fine literature, every nook and cranny is crammed with books that will set fire to the imagination and transform a quiet weekend afternoon into a refuge of thought. The After Words wine bar is open Tuesday through Saturday evenings.

Travelers with a culinary bent naturally gravitate toward Prairie Gourmet, west of Century Corners on Main Street. The specialty kitchen store is stocked with hard-to-find import foods, like macadamia oil, juniper and lingonberries, double Devon cream, and Swedish herring to inspire the chef in all of us. A full line of pots, pans and cooking utensils brings each inspiration to fruition.

Bargain hunters won’t want to miss an opportunity to visit the Kane County Antique Flea Market. Considered the largest flea market in the Midwest, more than 1,000 dealers display their wares in barns and open fields. Food is sold onsite, so browsers and serious buyers can spend serious time exploring the stock. The market is held the first Sunday of every month, as well as its preceding Saturday afternoon. The next opportunities to shop are Aug. 4–5, Sept. 1–2 and Oct. 6–7.

Dining out

Stepping in to the warm interior of this 1920s Spanish-Moroccan-style hotel, guests smell money–oil money. An heir to the estate of a Texaco Oil Company founder built the Hotel Baker. The elegance of the hotel is little changed from past decades. Though it has retained many of its original furnishings, business travelers will appreciate the data ports, large desks and voice mail service.

For a taste of elegance, reserve a table for Sunday’s champagne brunch. Diners can choose from among 80 selections of cold trays (crudités with dip), salads (herring in wine sauce), breakfast breads (croissants), breakfast entrees (eggs benedict), lunch entrees (penne pasta with marinara sauce), carved items (prime rib), and desserts (assorted tortes).

For visitors seeking cigars, jazz and speakeasy libations, reserve a table at Al Capone’s Speakeasy & Steakhouse. Serving steaks, wines and other spirits, this speakeasy and cigar joint features live jazz on Saturday nights.

“Great” and “gas station dining” aren’t words that normally flow together, but at the Filling Station Pub & Grill, diners fill up on hamburgers, appetizers and an extensive selection of beers. Antiques and memorabilia add to the cozy atmosphere at this converted corner gas station. Their outdoor beer garden is open through October.

Shops line the streets on Courthouse Square in Noblesville, Ind.

Noblesville

Noblesville (population 29,000) has an intact downtown , but its struggles were with previously underutilized second- and third-floor downtown office space. Now this Main Street community, located a few miles northeast of Indianapolis, has had award-winning success in placing tenants and protecting the architectural fabric of the courthouse square.

Visitors to Noblesville can enjoy the varied shops, as well as admire the charming architecture that can be found downtown.

Visit the Gentleman Soldier for gift ideas for that hard to buy for friend or relative. Gentleman Soldier specializes in militaria, including rare books, fine art, and antiques.

More military antiques may be found around the corner at Bound To Be Found Antiques, as well as old toys, advertising and law enforcement antiques. Dusty, cluttered and filled with treasures, serious collectors should plan to spend some time.

Retiring from the military means time for one thing–fishing. Lake & Lodge Outfitters is stocked like a hip wader’s fever dream. Antique fishing gear, gargantuan mounts, apparel and knickknacks from countries far flung, shoppers are transported to a bodega on the banks of a jungle stream.

Not everyone dreams of outdoor adventure. For visitors that show their daring in artistic ways, a visit to The Artist in You is essential. With more than a thousand ready-to-paint ceramics on hand, clients of any experience level use paint, stencils and freehand techniques to create jewelry boxes, wreaths, picture frames, religious items, and anything else their imagination conjures.

Eat this up

On a hot summer afternoon, it’s best to lose yourself in the cool interior of Alexander’s on the Square. Thirty-six ice cream flavors, soups, salads and sandwiches, provide the perfect energy boost for hungry shoppers. Those with a sweet tooth will want to try an almond coconut delight sundae made with almonds, coconut and hot fudge, or perhaps peaches and cream, made with peach pie filling and crushed cones.

The Noble Coffee & Tea Company carries unusual blends, including thin mint coffee, snickerdoodle, white Russian and black magic. They also carry a variety of imported coffee makers and espresso machines, kettles, carafes, thermoses, and portable mocha machines.

A few miles down a country road on the grounds of Conner Prairie, no one utters “Here’s your cappuccino.” Conner Prairie is a living history museum, aided by costumed interpreters that interact with visitors, acknowledging no reality newer than 1836. Snippets of everyday conversation overhead, and a wisp of wood smoke in the air, immerse the visitor in the period. Back at the Museum Center, Persimmons Restaurant treats diners to some of the best cuisine in the Indianapolis area, serving lunch and dinner Tuesday through Saturday, and lunch on Sunday.

Editor’s note: Main Street in Kansas and Missouri will be featured in the September/October 2001 issue.

Sally Snell is a contributor from Topeka, Kan.