Evansville’s winding, brick-covered Main Street has been revived over the last few years. Small businesses are filling up storefronts, offering passers-by an eclectic mix of gifts, treats, and beverages, plus opportunities to peruse local art or even adopt a cat.
Main Street has a bustling calendar of seasonal and special events. Events at the Ford Center, Victory Theatre, and nearby Old National Events Plaza bring tens of thousands of people into Downtown every year.
This summer, Evansville Living photography fellow Emma Bayens and editorial extern Hadley Mitchell strolled Main Street to see what interesting things they could discover, and provide some recommendations for your next visit Downtown.
Starting at Second and Main streets, fuel up at Parlor Doughnuts, 204 Main St, which has more than a galaxy of delectable treats — the Flagship coffee is a good choice, also. Beans from Brazil and Guatemala and have hints of chocolate, walnut, and pican. They are sold whole bean for $20 per bag.
Piece of Cake at 210 Main St., purveys beautiful special occasion cakes and offers treats to go. For $1.95, try the Raspberry Jammers: two butter cookies with a flavored jam of choice at the center, and covered in powdered sugar. Or take on the Cookie Monster, a chocolate chip cookie sandwich with buttercream filling.
At the Arts Council of Southwestern Indiana, 212 Main St., visitors can find a unique $5 gift idea for book lovers — artist Elizabeth Isaac created several miniature books that replicate well-known novels, using cutouts of pages from the actual books and decorating some with charms.
Speaking of books, you can find a blind date at Your Brother’s Bookstore, 504 Main St., but it’s not a blind date in the traditional sense. Store employees will hand-pick one of their favorite reads, wrap it in a package without giving the title away, and provide only a brief description of it. Prices vary, but with a store membership, you can receive a blind date every month.
You don’t HAVE to adopt a cat at River Kitty Cat Café, 226 Main St. — but yes, the opportunity is there. Stop in for a coffee drink, pick up a cat-themed trinket, or purchase a bottle of wine, some in the shape of a lithe cat. A bottle of Rheinhessen-Riesling white wine, which offers a balanced sweet-dry flavor safe for pleasing many palates, is one choice available for $18.
National chain Insomnia Cookies added a storefront at 318 Main St. in 2022, and River City dwellers are nocturnally grateful. Go for regular recipes such as double chocolate mint, confetti, s’mores, and salted caramel, or opt for classic flavors in vegan and gluten-free options. At $3.95 a piece, treat yourself to several!
Sixth & Zero, a provider of handmade soaps and sustainable products at 425 Main St., is forward-thinking with its buy-in-bulk food options. Customers can fill their own jars with organic and high-quality grains, spices, oats, and more — an environmentally-friendly way to source your food. Prices vary in item and weight. Sixth & Zero also offers beauty products, such as foundations that are plant-based and use ethically sourced ingredients. The Refresh brand comes in a variety of shades for $35, with refillable options available.
If you aren’t the best plant parent, Emerald Designs at 425 Main St. has a propagation station from which shoppers can buy a plant shoot for $3 or trade one in for free. Recent selections included philodendron, silver inch plant, and snake plant.
River City Coffee & Goods, 223 Main St., has loads of regionally made products and Evansville-branded merch such as T-shirts and mugs, many designed by store owner Heather Vaught. Score a canvas clutch by Hat + Rabbit for $30, slip on square glass bangle bracelets by TommyGunGlass for $15, pick up a colorful Piecework puzzle starting at $38, or pucker up to Poppy & Pout’s lemon-flavored lip scrub for $15.
Memo, the sister store to River City and just six doors down at 209 Main St. is a specialty stationary store fit for all occasions. With pickleball being all the craze right now, a $5 pickleball “happy birthday” card is perfect for any enthusiast.
