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And that’s how new owner Kurt Janowsky wants it. “You’re not sure if you’re in a cocktail bar or an opium den,” Janowsky said. “And that’s OK with us.” Gone are the days when the downtown South Bend cocktail bar was decorated with earthy touches and light blue walls. Now, the walls have been painted a deep eggplant purple with black ceilings, gold accents and very dim lighting using open flame candles, vintage Edison light bulbs and hanging crystal chandeliers. “We are trying to do something different and we wanted to really lean into the name Spir...

When Ben Futa was in third grade, he wrote down what he wanted to be when he grew up. “It said ‘one day I will open a garden center’ or ‘I will make my living selling plants,’” Futa said. And now, he’s making good on his childhood aspiration. Futa has opened Botany, a pop-up garden shop located in the dining room of Thyme of Grace restaurant in the River Park neighborhood. It’s not a place you would commonly expect a garden business, but restaurant owner Michele Lankford and Futa have known each other for at least 15 years so it was a natural fit. Plus,...

When Ben Futa was in third grade, he wrote down what he wanted to be when he grew up. “It said ‘one day I will open a garden center’ or ‘I will make my living selling plants,’” Futa said. And now, he’s making good on his childhood aspiration. Futa has opened Botany, a pop-up garden shop located in the dining room of Thyme of Grace restaurant in the River Park neighborhood. It’s not a place you would commonly expect a garden business, but restaurant owner Michele Lankford and Futa have known each other for at least 15 years so it was a natural fit. Plus,...

SOUTH BEND — Cocktail bar Spirited opened Tuesday in downtown South Bend. The bar at 105 E. Jefferson Blvd. was formerly owned by Tim Firestone and Brooke Donegan but closed in November 2020 partly due to the downturn caused by the coronavirus pandemic. New owner Kurt Janowsky said the newer concept has a more speakeasy theme. According to its website, the bar is open Tuesday through Thursday from 4 to 11 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 4 p.m. to 1 a.m. Keep an eye for Sunday’s Market Basket column with more details about the renovated downtown bar.

The idea was born before construction at the newly redeveloped Howard Park in downtown South Bend even began. City of South Bend Venues Parks and Arts executive director Aaron Perri wanted to bring a new and different amenity to the ice skating rink and open green space. He wanted to bring a restaurant. “We were thinking something that was open for four seasons, would be family friendly, where a group of colleagues could go to get a drink and something that was local and something that fit the park’s look and feel,” he said. The city submitted a request for proposals for the sp...