Scenes from...Shelbyville

Shelbyville has possibly the cutest downtown that we have seen in Indiana. We love old signage and Shelbyville has it in spades and, even better, the establishments are even still in business. Look at the picture of Sanders. If we lived nearby, we would go buy old broken watches at antique stores and take them here just to keep this cute place in business. As you approach Public Square (which is really more like a roundabout) an awesome statue of a guy holding bears in each hand greets you. It turns out it is a tribute to Charles Major, author of The Bears of Blue River. There is a sweet little bookstore called Three Sisters with an adjoining small coffeehouse called, appropriately, The Bookmark. They made us a much needed iced coffee which was delicious. There are a couple of other shops with antiques and gifts and there is the Bonnie & Clyde's restaurant (which some readers might remember from their former Mt. Comfort location). Many occupants of the buildings are services such as banking, insurance, accounting, etc. As you make your way down S. Harrison off of Public Square, you will find Linne's Pastries (again adorable sign) a Merle Norman store, and the historic Strand Theatre. Unbelievably, the Strand has been here since 1916! SA-LUTE to the people who kept the place not only standing but vibrant. We saw posters throughout downtown promoting the Divas & Duets at The Strand, a fundraiser for the Shelby County Players. In summary, charming Shelbyville really beckons us. If we could get a Yat's and a Trader Joe's in their downtown, we would gladly make it our new address. They even have their own Statue of Liberty!