Indianapolis, IN

Farewell to Circle Centre and more: See what opened, closed to end 2025

Published

2 months ago

January 5, 2026

Press Room

Farewell to Circle Centre and more: See what opened, closed to end 2025

As the year came to an end, so did the annual carousel of stores opening and closing around Indianapolis.

Multiple beloved shops, including a giftware store in Fountain Square and a local bookstore near the Devington area, closed at the end of the year due to personal decisions or financial difficulties. Meanwhile, a streetwear shop opened in Castleton Square Mall, and the last tenants in Circle Centre Mall said their farewells before the shopping center closed for a yearslong redevelopment.

Here’s what retail stores opened and closed in December 2025.

Openings

Indianapolis Liberation Center

1619 Prospect St., indyliberationcenter.org, opened Dec. 5

The Indianapolis Liberation Center opened its permanent physical storefront last month to serve as a community space and organizing hub on the near southeast side. Founded in 2021, the Center brings together organizers and community groups to train activists and host events.

“With a physical store that’s a one-stop shop for organizers and activists — including a diverse range of hundreds of books, unique t-shirts, buttons, stickers, posters, and more — this marks a new chapter in achieving our mission of a city and world free of division, exploitation, marginalization, and oppression,” Dani Abdullah, a lead organizer with the Center, said in a press release.

The Center is run solely by volunteers.

Circle City Souvenirs

1 S. Capitol Ave., circlecitysouvenirs.com, opened early December

Longtime souvenir store Circle City Souvenirs closed up shop in the declining Circle Centre Mall, but the Indianapolis spot didn’t go far. Circle City Souvenirs is now open in the PNC Center. Owner Kim White told IndyStar the move was bittersweet, as her store had called the mall home since 2017, but she hopes to expand the business in the new location.

PRVT

6020 E 82nd St., Castleton Square Mall, shopatprvt.com, opened early December

Streetwear clothing store PRVT opened in early December next to the Foot Locker at Castleton Square Mall. Owner Daki Glumac also runs a PRVT location at Hamilton Town Center.

Closings

Tuggle’s Gifts & Goods

1029 Virginia Ave., closed Dec. 28

Tuggle’s Gifts and Goods closed in December after five years open on Fountain Square’s main commercial strip. At the store, Brooke and Ross Tuggle sold Indianapolis-themed gifts, creative works made by Indy artists and a variety of knick-knacks.

The Tuggles closed the business to move their family to Kentucky, per a social media post.

“This decision comes from a place of love and excitement,” the Tuggles wrote in an Instagram post. “We’re choosing to slow down, spend more time together as a family, and begin a new chapter as we move to Lexington, Kentucky.”

Red Dog Books

7115 E 46th St., Facebook, closed Dec. 31

Independent bookstore Red Dog Books closed at the end of the year after low sales, multiple moves and high rent made staying open in its storefront on 46th Street unattainable. Red Dog had just opened in the space earlier in spring 2025.

The nonprofit is preparing for a permanent shutdown, unless Red Dog can find a new space with affordable rent and gain support from the community through donations and purchases, a social media post said.

“This community has shown us time and time again that miracles happen when we stand together,” owners wrote in a Facebook post. “Please don’t just remember Red Dog Books. Help us keep it alive.”

WNS Apparel, Hot Topic, Aeropostale, Freestyle, the Collector’s Den, Indy Jewelers in Circle Centre Mall

49 W. Maryland St., Circle Centre Mall, closed end of December

At the end of December, Circle Centre Mall’s last tenants left, ending a 30-year run for the downtown shopping center.

A handful of stores — including WNS Apparel, Hot Topic, Aeropostale, Freestyle, Indy Jewelers, the Collector’s Den and Circle City Souvenirs — shuttered as a result. Hendricks Commercial Properties closed down the indoor portion of the mall, including the food court, to prepare for construction as the developer begins work on its $600 million redevelopment named Traction Yards.

Traction Yards will include an elevated outdoor retail experience with space for offices, apartments and potentially a boutique hotel. The overhaul is expected to be completed in phases, with the first section opening in 2029 at the earliest.

Know a store opening or closing in your neighborhood? Contact IndyStar reporter Alysa Guffey at amguffey@usatodayco.com.

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Indianapolis, IN

Noblesville man arrested, accused of rape of UIndy student in dorm room

Published

4 hours ago

March 3, 2026

Press Room

Noblesville man arrested, accused of rape of UIndy student in dorm room

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A 21-year-old man was arrested and accused of raping a University of Indianapolis student on campus.

Police say the investigation began on Jan. 24 when University of Indianapolis Police received a call from a woman who said she believed she was drugged at a bar in downtown Indianapolis and then raped in her dorm room.

Court documents say she met Marwan Khalaf of Noblesville at the Metro Bar on Massachusetts Avenue and went back to her dorm room, where he repeatedly raped her. When she woke up one of the last times, he was gone.

According to court documents, she next went to shower and passed out again. She woke up in the shower at 7 a.m. Jan. 24 and called 911.

The student told investigators she had gone out alone on Jan. 23 and took an Uber to a few bars downtown before arriving at the Metro Bar at 12:51 a.m. Jan. 24. Court documents state that’s where she met Khalaf and they danced together.

Court documents say the bar refused to serve the student a drink because she was already intoxicated when she arrived. Khalaf then bought her a shot and they asked her to leave. She says Khalaf left with her and offered to take her home.

The student says she recalls his car being “parked directly across the street from Metro.” According to UIPD Detective Jay Arnold, the student’s identification card was used to enter the dorm at 2:13 a.m.

In an interview with detectives, Khalaf admitted to being at the bar and kissing her, but denied having sexual contact with the student. He told detectives he took care of her because she was drunk and said he left the dorm when it became light outside because his mother was calling him.

Khalaf has been charged with two counts of rape and one count of sexual battery.

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Indianapolis, IN

We speak for ourselves in IPS-charter debate. Don’t dismiss us. | Letters

Published

16 hours ago

March 3, 2026

Press Room

We speak for ourselves in IPS-charter debate. Don’t dismiss us. | Letters

LaToya Hale, Greg Henson, Dontia Dyson, Cristal Salgado and Swantella Nelson
| Indianapolis Star

The signers of a recent statement by the African American Coalition of Indianapolis questioning who speaks for the Black community raise concerns about process while our students of color continue to be left behind in a public education system that offers too little opportunity and too few positive outcomes.

We agree that parents and students should be heard, which is why we’re troubled that our voices were overlooked during the public process led by the Indianapolis Local Education Alliance. We were present at nearly every ILEA meeting, sharing our personal experiences and asking leaders to take bold action, and we spent months discussing and researching ideas before offering a series of recommendations to improve schools in both IPS and the charter sector.

For many of us, speaking up to improve public education in our city goes back years. We have consistently focused on stronger accountability for all schools within IPS and on growing what works in communities that most need quality schools. So we have to ask: Did you not hear us? Or did you choose to ignore us because our opinions don’t align with yours? Are you now trying to diminish our voices by suggesting that our affiliation with certain organizations means we can’t think or speak for ourselves?

Let us be clear. Our advocacy is driven by our own experiences, and it is these perspectives that add value to the debate we’re having as a community. We live in neighborhoods that are directly impacted by the opportunity gap. It takes courage to advocate, and when voices like ours are attacked, it discourages others in our community from standing up and speaking out.

We strongly support IPS — many of us attended the district as children and have our own students there now. We also support a system of quality charter schools, and we will continue to advocate for both despite attempts to pit sectors against one another. While these recent words and claims are unfair and deeply hurtful, we remain dedicated to bringing voices together to solve problems.

It is time to stop the toxic politics of school type and focus on progress for children, especially Black and brown students who have been harmed by a tragic opportunity gap that has existed for generations. While House Bill 1423 is not perfect, we see it as the best opportunity in many years to hold all schools accountable for improved results, expand transportation and access across IPS, and move toward financial stability across the system.

You may disagree with us on the policy, and that is OK. But please do not dismiss our voices or discount our stories, which represent so many in IPS who simply want a high-quality, safe public school experience for their children.

LaToya Hale, Greg Henson, Dontia Dyson, Cristal Salgado and Swantella Nelson are Indianapolis parents.

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Indianapolis, IN

Westfield’s historic Green Building set for relocation

Published

1 day ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

Westfield’s historic Green Building set for relocation

WESTFIELD, Ind. (WISH) — Westfield officials say the historic Green Building will relocate as part of the 32Connects project, in partnership with Indiana Department of Transportation.

The move is set for 8 a.m. Thursday and move north from its current location, along State Road 32 near Union Street, up to near the Basile Westfield Playhouse.

Officials say in order to safely complete the move the intersection of Union Street and State Road 32 will be closed beginning at 4 a.m. Thursday.

The intersection will reopen by 5 p.m. and detours will be in place.

If the weather causes delays, the move will shift to Friday.

This story was written using a script that was aired on WISH-TV.

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