TIPTON — Communities in north-central Indiana brace for a population boom, with the city of Tipton sitting poised for growth.
With two, new E-V battery plants slated to come online in nearby Kokomo within the next 5 years, Tipton stakeholders and city leaders are developing plans for that growth and to attract new business into their community.
The Tipton County seat sits between Kokomo and the booming Hamilton County community of Westfield.
"We are already feeling that growth pushing up from our southern neighbors, and so we are fully expecting that when some of the excitement starts coming online in Kokomo with the EV battery plant," said Tipton's new mayor, Kegan Schmicker (R) just took office in January 2024, but he's long been involved in the economic and business environment in downtown Tipton, including his work to make Tipton a "riverfront district" which opens up more alcohol permits to allow more restaurants to come online in the community.
"Now its all about execution. If we can best leverage the tools and plan and with the people involved, the stakeholders, to be honest, I don't think there's anything that can stop us," said Schmicker.
One of those community stakeholders is business owners Kindra Tragesser, who served on committees with the now-mayor, and says it is up to everyone to do what they can to improve their community.
"My thinking has always been, I'm going to serve where I can," said Tragesser, who spent her whole life in Tipton and more than 20 years as a broker.
But now, she runs an anchor store on the downtown square.
"We're located in downtown Tipton across from the courthouse square 114 East Jefferson Street," said Tragesser, who places a fun pig statue outside on the sidewalk to let customers know her shop is open for the day.
Urban Homestead is really a nod to her hometown of Tipton, even in the name. It highlights the locally-made artisan goods from homesteaders and creatives in the Hoosier state. But it also boasts an upscale, eclectic vibe with orb lights and a luxurious couch as centerpieces of the storefront, highlighting Tipton as a bustling urban community.
"Tipton is a vibrant, small, quaint community," said Tragesser, who uses her retail storefront not only to sell home goods and decor, but also to host gatherings and events. "I want to create community. I want to create a place where people can come and they feel like they belong."
Tragesser holds a liquor license so she can serve customers drinks from her checkout counter. She encourages folks who visit to grab a drink, take a seat on the couch and talk.
It's a boutique that's a great place for discussing business, or holding a girls night out, and other events. Tragesser says that brings life to downtown Tipton.
"The town was hopping," said Tragesser, who says her neighboring businesses are an ecosystem of support. Together they host events, recommend shops and restaurants to customers, and collaborate on downtown events to help boost the local economy. "So that's what we really love."
On her front checkout counter, Tragesser has a map made by a nearby business, which features and highlights other local retail stores, restaurants and businesses.
And as a member of the group involved in the downtown revitalization plan, she is even more excited for the opportunities to come in the future.
"I believe that there's a big resurgence for downtowns," said Tragesser. "It's very important to have that plan in place, or how you want to see this growth, or just the growth will just come in an bombard."
Mayor Schmicker says part of the plans involve the city's new way-finding signs around downtown to helps guests find landmarks.
The city also has a facade project, to hopefully improve the look of the downtown buildings and encourage business growth and more residential apartments in downtown.
They have plans for a traffic calming projects to improve walk-ability, which will also include new landscaping.
"It's very critical that we as a community identify what does success mean to us, what does it look like to us," said Schmicker.
His administration is also launching a new branding and marketing campaign to highlight Tipton's strengths and raise awareness across the state of what they have to offer. Part of this campaign also shows off to their local residents the highlights of their community.
"As a rural community, I think we have to be creative," said Schmicker about the improvement projects and leveraging tools from the legislature to improve the downtown and attract businesses. "Put the whole state on notice that Tipton is here and we are ready for them to come visit."
