Business
Bill Oesterle's costly, legacy-defining RFRA fight

Bill Oesterle discusses the Religious Freedom Restoration Act outside the City-County Building in March 2015. Photo: Aaron P. Bernstein/Getty Images
Welcome to the first edition of Market Street, a column on politics and power, named to reference the line between the Statehouse and City-County Building.
Long before Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Disney waged war over LGBTQ+ issues, Bill Oesterle fired the first shots.
Gas prices are way down


School is out, we've had our first three-day weekend and you know what that means: It's unofficially, officially summer vacation season.
Why it matters: Time to go road trippin'!
Circle Centre's profit gets in the way of change

Circle Centre mall made $4.3 million in 2022 amid an exodus of retailers including H&M. Photo: James Briggs/Axios
Circle Centre Mall hauled in millions of dollars last year, a paradoxical performance that illustrates why the dying shopping center has meandered toward redevelopment for the better part of a decade.
Driving the news: Circle Centre recorded a $4.3 million profit last year, even as the pandemic dealt a knockout blow to a swath of tenants, per a financial report issued to the city.
Tinker Coffee makes a statement with downtown cafe

Tinker Coffee Co. is open in a former Starbucks location in the 360 Market Square tower. Photo: James Briggs/Axios
A growing coffee company is placing a big bet on downtown Indianapolis.
Driving the news: Tinker Coffee Co. is launching its largest cafe yet, offering pastries and drinks with menu categories ranging from approachable to adventurous.
Downtown Indy slower to recover from pandemic
Three years on, downtown Indianapolis is still struggling to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, seeing less than half the activity it once did.
- That's according to anonymized mobile device connectivity data analyzed by researchers at the University of Toronto's School of Cities.
Indianapolis' favorite grocery stores


A tumultuous decade in the Central Indiana grocery business has made little difference at the top of the food chain.
State of play: Kroger is the most popular grocery store chain in Indianapolis, with a 34.4% market share as of last year.
When the baby boomers and Gen X sell their homes

Homes are hard to find, but Indiana University research shows there could be an abundance in the 2030s as older generations sell. Photo: Dustin Chambers/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Today's super-tight housing market might be masking an overabundance of homes on the horizon.
Driving the news: Demographic trends suggest we are in a "generational housing bubble," per research published by Indiana University's Phil Powell, a clinical associate professor, and Matt Kinghorn, a senior demographer.
6 independent bookstores around Indianapolis

Wild Geese Bookshop sells new books out of an old house in downtown Franklin. Photo: Tiffany Phillips/Wild Geese Bookshop
Barnes & Noble is enjoying a renaissance as people return to physical stores to buy hard copies of books. But that's far from the only brick-and-mortar option in town.
State of play: Central Indiana has a strong independent scene for book lovers. Here are six shops worth checking out within driving distance of Indianapolis.

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