Hey Locals,

You might have heard Electric Works described as a "public-private" project. This week, we're diving into what that means and the role of Union Street Market's mysterious Public Market Trust in Above the Fold.

We also share what to know about a new restaurant and bar on West Main Street: Spoke & Ivy and Black Rabbit (by the owners of Mercado on The Landing). Plus, we have details on what's next for Utopian Coffee, now that its popular cafe on The Landing is closing soon.

Don't worry: There's still time to redeem your deal this month! In February, we're partnering with Utopian to bring all paid subscribers to The Local a FREE 16 oz. drip coffee OR a 12 oz. plain whole milk latte (any modifiers an additional charge). Learn how to claim your offer here, and get details on the business's future below.

Now, let's get started!

NOTE: Links to Journal Gazette articles are marked(*) and may be behind a paywall.

What is the Public Market Trust?

Readers have expressed concerns about Union Street Market, and it turns out, there's a board for that — or at least, there should be...

What's happening?

In recent months, residents and market tenants have expressed concerns about leadership and turnover at Union Street Market at Electric Works. As promised, we attended Be Elec-trific Day on Feb. 11, which Electric Works staffers told us would provide greater insight into a key component of accountability in the project: the Public Market Trust. But, ironically, the more we’ve learned about the Trust, the more we’ve realized there’s a lack of public information and awareness about it.

So what is Public Market Trust, and why does it matter?

Let’s start with the basics:

• Who is the Public Market Trust? The Trust is an independent nonprofit created by the city and developers in their 2020 Economic Development Agreement contract to govern Union Street Market. It consists of up to 13 members tasked with overseeing the market’s activities and reporting on its progress annually. Six members are appointed by the Allen County Capital Improvement Board (CIB), two are appointed by Electric Works, and the remaining five seats are to be appointed by the board itself. But three years later, these seats have yet to be filled. Members tell us the board has been meeting monthly since 2022.
• So what does the Trust do? An entire section of the city’s 2020 contract with Electric Works is devoted to requirements for the market and its Public Market Trust. The contract says the market must stay open for 10 years, and it outlines four main duties for the Trust in that time: 1) Monitoring Union Street Market’s mission and reporting on its accomplishments annually, 2) Developing and implementing educational programs and partnerships, 3) Leading community engagement efforts, and 4) Coordinating food access programs. These responsibilities were to be defined in an MOU between the Trust and developers at least six months prior to the market’s opening in November 2022.
• So why does the Public Market Trust matter? Because to secure $65M in direct public funding, Electric Works needed to prove it was going to be more than a glorified office park. It needed to provide “mission-driven” benefits to the city and county, as a whole — namely: convenient access to healthy and affordable foods, primarily grown and produced in Northeast Indiana. That’s where the Trust comes in. According to its webpage, its mission is “to cultivate an inclusive and multicultural gathering place that offers a home for small business ventures, in particular food entrepreneurs, food and beverage producers, artisans, makers, and farmers in Northeast Indiana, while supporting healthy food access, community wellness, and cultural heritage.”

However...

Beyond this, what the Trust does (and what it has accomplished to date) remains unclear. 

We break down what we've learned so far in our premium newsletter.

Why it matters

Since the City of Fort Wayne and Allen County Capital Improvement Board (CIB) gave Electric Works $65M in direct public funding, it has been billed to residents as a “public-private" project. But residents and local leaders might not be on the same page about just how much of the region's largest project is a public entity.

• Recently: one of our readers emailed Mayor Sharon Tucker’s office, asking the city to “intervene” to salvage Union Street Market and the “financial stake of taxpayers in the project.” However, they were told: "Electric Works is a private business." Read the full exchange (and what you can do about it) here.
• According to our research: while the public stake in Electric Works, as a whole, remains unclear (and perhaps debatable), the Trust itself is a separate nonprofit (aka not private business), directly involving the public and intended to uphold what appears to be a significant public interest in Union Street Market.

Stay tuned for updates as we learn more!

• Utopian Coffee is closing its popular cafe on The Landing (later this spring) to focus on sourcing and roasting coffee on S. Calhoun Street. Since we're partnering with Utopian this month, Co-Owner Brendon Maxwell reached out to us last week to share the news, and reassure readers that the cafe is still open to redeem your deal this month. He also wanted to dispel rumors that the closure might be part of a trend of small business closures Downtown. Maxwell says Utopian’s cafe on The Landing has been cash-flow positive, but operating a coffee shop was not originally part of his plans for the business, which focuses on partnering with global coffee farmers and producers to source and roast unique and sustainable blends. About five years ago, when he leased an upstairs space on The Landing for Utopian’s roastery (as well as The Landing Beer Co. beneath it), the lease included the cafe. Since then, Utopian’s roastery has outgrown its space on The Landing and relocated to a 30,000 sq. ft. warehouse on S. Calhoun Street near Tall Rabbit Cafe, where Maxwell has a new project underway. “We’re actually building a coffee lab right now at the roastery,” he says. “It will function similar to a distillery with tastings and tours, and even though it won’t be open to the public every day, like a cafe, it will still allow us to host special events and engage the public.” Get the scoop in our full Q&A.
• Following recent bankruptcy of Three Rivers Festival, a local-focused, "younger demographic" festival is rising up to "save Fort Wayne's summer." The event, dubbed "Big Fort Fest," is planning its debut for July 10-12 at Headwaters Park. "Their goal is to start small and grow," WANE 15 reports. Organizers Jake and Jes Farris (of the popular annual Tattoo Festival) say some TRF-favorites will be featured at their event, including the Chalk Walk, the Lawton Park Flea Market and Runners on Parade as well as a new (local) take on Junk Food Alley. Details are TBA on their website, and they are seeking volutneers and sponsorships.

Plus: a new youth sports fieldhouse Downtown, more new developments on The Landing, and an expensive new loo. We cover it all in our premium newsletter.

A sneak peek inside West Main's new restaurant: Spoke & Ivy.

We share details (and menu recs) for the New American spot, now open by Mercado's owners.

What's happening?

Last year, we broke news about the owners of Mercado on The Landing, Johnny and Esli Perez, opening four new restaurants in four years. Following Mercado in 2021, they've opened Papi’s Pizza next door and plan to open Ducky's at The Pearl nearby soon. Last week, we attended a special soft opening event for their long-awaited New American spot, Spoke & Ivy, along the up-and-coming West Main Street corridor near Downtown. (We also got a sneak peek inside the Black Rabbit Bar in the basement with swanky speakeasy vibes.)

Here are a few quick things to know:

• The hours: Spoke & Ivy is open every day of the week, offering weekday lunch and dinner, Saturday dinner and Sunday brunch service (10 a.m.-3 p.m.). Black Rabbit Bar in the basement is open Fridays-Saturdays, 5 p.m.-midnight, and will host the occasional jazz band, workers say.
• The space: Both the restaurant and bar feel thoughtfully designed with bold colors and an upscale, yet approachable vibe. We loved how the historic 1905 Hutzell Building has been reimagined with wood-framed arches and exposed brick. It was cool being able to step inside a formerly vacant building we've often wondered about. You might remember: Spoke & Ivy is attached to Flats on Main, at 1402 W. Main St., offering eight new premium flats on the second floor and commercial space below. It is now leasing and seeking additional business partners.
• The menu: We enjoyed everything we ate, but a few standouts were the Praise the Sun cocktail (the perfect amount of sweet with a fresh apricot taste), the Milanese (crispy chicken with an herbed goat cheese smear, fresno, pesto and arugula salad) and firey Spoke Cake dessert (a buttermilk cake with vanilla ice cream, stone fruits and apricot syrup). See the full menu here.

For more information about Spoke & Ivy and its owners at Te Gustó Hospitality, listen to the latest Champagne Side podcast feauring Johnny and Esli Perez.

• Shop: for a Local branded mug at Creative Women of the World (CWOW) Downtown for $18! After our survey giveaway last week, a few readers inquired about where they might purchase one. (Also: Did you know Fort Wayne's own CWOW has trained nearly 600 women around the world in business development and financial literacy? Quick shout out that their annual fashion show fundraiser is coming up March 1, and early bird tickets are now available for $75.)
• Attend: a free art opening for the exhibit “Lost: An Exploration of Absence and Discovery” at The Garden on Feb. 20, 6-8 p.m. The show features work from diverse artists on many dimensions of loss: physical, emotional and existential, "guiding visitors through stories of absence, resilience, and the unexpected beauty that can emerge in the spaces between," a post says.
• Listen: to a free performance of Wayne Street Strings at Union Street Market on Feb. 20, noon-1 p.m., by the Fort Wayne Philharmonic.

What else? We share more things to do in our premium newsletter.

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Have a great week, Locals!

-Your Editor, Kara Hackett