A historic and long-vacant gas station which sits at the corner of College and Fletcher avenues has come back to life as Amberson Coffee and Grocer.
The enterprise is the brainchild of Hugo Cano, a California native who now resides in the Lockerbie Square area.
Amberson Coffee and Grocer features a variety of coffee drinks from two minority-owned sources, Bar Nine of California and Black and White from Wake Forest, N.C.
The shop also features a growing list of produce and dairy from local farms. Cano also plans to add meats and cheeses from sources around the country in the coming weeks.
Cano said that when he moved to Indianapolis he read Booth Tarkington’s The Magnificent Ambersons to learn more about his new city. Heenjoyed the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel so much he used the name for his business.
Ambersons, which opened June 23 at 401 S. College Ave., also features a drive-up window. Hours are 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mondays and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays.
In other business news:
* A Stadium Village stalwart, JP Parker Flowers, has closed at 801 S. Meridian St. According to a report by the Indianapolis Business Journal, owner Pamela Parker attributed the closing to the COVID-19 shutdown. She will continue operating from the company’s Franklin location, as well as from a flower truck.
* A seafood restaurant is apparently ready to open its doors very soon at 345 Mass Ave, former home of Louie’s Wine Dive. According to a report in the April issue of Urban Times, Slapfish is a chain headquartered in California which specializes in lobster rolls, lobster grilled cheese, lobster grinders and shrimp burritos.
* Peppy Grill, a mainstay of the Fountain Square business community, has opened an eatery in The Avenue apartment building at 910 W. 10th St., just off the hospital and IUPUI campuses.
