WARSAW — The Warsaw Farmers and Artisans Market recently began expanding with vendors being placed around the corner from Center Street and onto Buffalo Street, but Krista Brown had another idea.

Brown, the owner of Maggie's Coffee and Treats, grew up with an appreciation of classic cars and knows owners like to chat about their vehicles over a cup of coffee.

So why not invite classic car owners to use the remaining void on Buffalo Street, which was closed to accommodate the added vendors?

She said the added arrangement makes sense and pitched it to representatives of the market.

"It not only brings more business to us downtown businesses, but it also brings more business to the farmers market," Brown said.

And over the past two weeks, car enthusiasts have taken the lead.

Josh Fox, one of the organizers of the weekly morning market, said the reaction from car owners was swift.

"It floored us both. We didn't know what to expect, but the first week we had 20 cars and the second week we had 26," Fox said.

Fox said they'll continue the inclusion of the cars each Saturday (weather permitting) through August and then consider what to do in the future.

Brown said she's seen an uptick in Saturday sales and thinks other merchants and vendors have benefited.

"It's just another way to be about community," Brown said.

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WARSAW — In what might have been one of the more unique moments in recent local history, two World War II centenarians — Charlie Garner and Bob Gast — sat in a Warsaw coffee shop on Friday and talked in detail for more than an hour about their wartime experiences.

The event was prompted by U.S. Rep. Rudy Yakym, who organized the meeting at Maggie’s Coffee and Treats shop on Buffalo Street as part of a weeklong series celebrating American war veterans.

Maggie’s was chosen because it's the home base for a large group of veterans who meet there monthly.

The gathering was announced just a week or so ago and attracted about a dozen veterans, all of whom were quietly riveted as Gast and Garner traded war stories about their time in Europe, dating back more than 80 years.

Garner, who will turn 102 in July, remains especially sharp in his recollections, and Gast, at the age of 103, admittedly had a few minor memory lapses, but gained momentum as he provided details of when he was shot in the forearm and hospitalized.

The unstructured conversation between the two (believed to be the only surviving World War II veterans in Kosciusko County) was bolstered by Yakym, who asked about their recollections.

Kosciusko County Veterans Service Officer Darryl McDowell also helped keep the conversation moving.

Garner said he remembered counting 500 bombers flying over the skies over Omaha Beach.

Gast remembered, “Actually, we were the first troops into Paris … We ended up just riding in there on trucks.”

At one point, Garner said he dug four fox holes in one day in a small town in France in 1944.

“We pointed our mortars in four different directions, and I said, 'Does that mean what I think it does? And he said, yes, it does.' We were surrounded for four days,” Garner said.

Gast, as he has said before, made it clear he did not consider himself to be a hero.

He recalled that in his platoon, "You couldn't get any closer to the enemy. Nothing's ahead of you except Germans."

He added, "We were assigned to find and replace the 28th Division. We found them and they were destroyed."

Yakym asked them about their thoughts when they realized the war in Europe had ended.

Garner said they celebrated with bottles of champagne.

"The mood was good," Garner said. "But the problem was we knew we were being sent back to the states to get ready to go to Japan. I got back to the states on July 13, 1945 … we had to be back at Camp Atterbury on the 14th, and I was sitting there with one pitcher of beer, and a lieutenant came over and said, ‘The war is over.’

Garner added, “I went in as a private and came out as a private. I had a wife at home and I wanted to be back to her. I was fighting for her as much as I was fighting for the United States because it was important.”

After Friday's event, Yakym was asked about the opportunity to listen to their stories.

"These guys are war-torn, they went all through Europe, fighting to ensure Europe and the rest of the world would forever be free. They made tremendous sacrifices, they lost many friends in war, and to sit there for an hour and hear their stories — for me — it’s a little emotional,” Yakym said.

“It’s a memory that I will certainly carry with me for the rest of my life.”

[caption id="attachment_110642" align="aligncenter" width="738"] Charlie Garner shows Congressman Rudy Yakym a photo on his phone of when he threw out the first pitch recently at a South Bend Cubs baseball game. The bag on the table is homemade jelly that Garner presented to Yakym. News Now Warsaw photo by Dan Spalding.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_110644" align="aligncenter" width="750"] From left are veteran Charlie Garner, Congressman Rudy Yakym, veteran Bob Gast, and Krista Brown, owner of Maggie's Coffee and Treats. News Now Warsaw photo by Dan Spalding.[/caption]

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WARSAW — The list of new tenants is long — a florist, a bakery a candy store, an antique shop as well as a fourth women’s boutique — have joined the lineup in what has become a banner year for downtown merchants in Warsaw.

But maybe what’s most encouraging is that four businesses that already had a stake in the downtown chose to relocate and remain in the business district.

Two of those — The Riverhouse Coffee House and Glam Boutique — experienced a smooth transition as they moved to new spots this year on Center Street. 

But two others, at the bequest of their landlords, had to find new homes and did so, ultimately setting with properties side-by-side on Buffalo Street.

Male Fashions owner Tim Hamann, who spent ten years with his store on Center Street, began settling in a year ago to his new digs in the space previously used by MudLove, and said he likes the change.

"We're happy. The move has been good. Sales have been good. People are excited with the new space," Hamann said.

Krista Brown had to find a new location just months after her business, Maggie's Coffee and Treats, opened on Center Street. She found a new home at the corner of Market and Buffalo but was closed for several weeks for renovations.

She admits having to temporarily close after just opening put a cloud of concern over her store's future, but she persevered and eventually re-opened in the space previously used by Infinity Salon.

Brown said her sales are increasing steadily.

Looking back, she adds, "I wouldn't change anything."

While the race to attract coffee drinkers feels like a competitive one in downtown Warsaw, Brown has remained confident and her store has begun to attract a series of groups including military veterans who meet there regularly as well as three Bible groups.

She admits she caters to a bit of an old customer base.

Brown said she was successful in asking the city to relocate a 15-minute parking spot closer to her store at the corner of Market and Buffalo.

She and Hamann both said they think parking near their new location has been a plus.

Both merchants say the changes have been good.

"There's a lot of stuff going on so anything that increases (the number) of people downtown is good for all of us," Hamann said.

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WARSAW — Two stores in downtown Warsaw are on the move.

Maggie’s Coffee and Treats will be relocating from the 100 block of East Center Street to a block south to the corner of South Buffalo and Market streets where Infinity Salon has been located for eight years.

[caption id="attachment_89676" align="alignright" width="350"] Infinity Salon has been at the corner of Market and Buffalo streets in Warsaw for eight years. The business will be moving to North Detroit Street, and Maggie's Coffee and Treats is expected to be the next tenant. News Now Warsaw photo by Dan Spalding.[/caption]

Christa Brown opened Maggie's last summer but is moving to the new location, which she said will offer more space, better visibility and better parking.

The store is expected to reopen in May after interior changes are made to accomodate the use.

"Our anticipated open date is right around May 1. I'd like it to be sooner, we'll see how it goes," Brown said.

Meanwhile, Infinity Salon, owned by Christa Harman, is moving to a newly constructed standalone store on North Detroit Street near the Lassus gas station and Via Credit Union.

The new location will allow the business to expand from 11 employees to about 17, Harman told News Now Warsaw.

"We'll have a parking lot and it will give us an opportunity to have more services. We're adding more hair stylists, nail technicians, estheticians," Harman said.

The downtown has seen numerous moves in the past year. Male Fashions had been on East Center and is now adjacent to Infinity Salon's current store. Other changes include the opening of B+B Courthouse Market and Rocksteady Pizza Parlour. Renovations to numerous other downtown properties are also underway.

She said she felt attached to the downtown but had several reasons for making the move.

"I'll always have a heart for downtown, but I really do feel like the city does need to do something about the parking because it does limit it," Harman said.

She said the salon is expected to open on March 5.

[caption id="attachment_89677" align="aligncenter" width="1335"] Infinity Salon's new location on North Detroit Street is expected to open March 6. News Now Warsaw photo by Dan Spalding.[/caption]

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