Downtown Fort Wayne’s expansion brings services and community to Wells Street and Broadway businesses

On a snowy Monday morning last winter, Dane Leitch awoke, dreading the piles of snow he’d need to shovel in front of his business. Leitch, owner of Aaron’s Fine Rug Gallery, had grown accustomed to the drudgery of winter snow removal over the years. But on this particular morning, he arrived to find the sidewalk already cleared, thanks to the services of Downtown Fort Wayne’s Clean & Safe program.

Snow removal is just one of the many services provided by Downtown Fort Wayne, which recently expanded its boundaries up through the Wells Street Corridor and down Broadway, including the block where Aaron’s Fine Rug Gallery is located.

As a Downtown Improvement District, Downtown Fort Wayne must be reapproved every 10 years, a process that includes acquiring signatures from property owners representing more than 60% of the non-residential property and more than 60% of the non-residential real property value to be renewed to authorize a commercial district.

The expansion, filed last year and enacted at the beginning of 2026, increases Downtown Fort Wayne’s footprint from roughly 99 blocks to about 141 blocks, making this the largest Downtown Improvement District in Indiana.

“Over the last decade, downtown Fort Wayne has grown well beyond the original district boundaries, and areas like the Wells Street Corridor, Broadway Arts District, and connections to Electric Works have become increasingly integral to the overall downtown experience,” says Preston Wallace, Downtown Fort Wayne Director of Marketing.

Community advocate and Great Panes Glass Co. co-owner Judi Wire has been pushing for this expansion for a while. Earlier this year, Wire and her husband, Dan, were honored by Downtown Fort Wayne and WANE 15 with the Unsung Hero award for their work in the city– in Wire’s case, for her long history of championing small businesses along the Wells Corridor.

For Wire, the expansion into the Wells Street area reflects decades of work to support organizations in the area. The expansion “gives you hope for the future as you see these things starting to develop,” Wire says.

She’s pleased with what Downtown Fort Wayne has done so far, and says, “It’s only going to get better.”

Businesses on Broadway who were part of the expansion were equally enthused by being included in Downtown Fort Wayne.

“I had been begging to be part of [Downtown Fort Wayne] for years,” says Taber Olinger, owner of Fancy & Staple and Hopscotch House. “This expansion means so much to both of my small businesses.”

One of the major advantages of inclusion in Downtown Fort Wayne for small businesses is the marketing and social media work the organization does, which includes highlighting different local businesses on its website and social media accounts, an offering Wire says “has brought traffic into our businesses that were struggling to get out the message to the public.”

“Despite having literally grown up with Facebook, social media is a really difficult thing to navigate,” says Leitch. “It’s nice to be part of a group that has professionals to help with social media growth.” 

As the owner of the recently-launched Strong Art Gallery, which had its first gallery show in 2025, Paige Strong understands the importance of increased visibility. She’s especially happy about the marketing and promotional efforts on behalf of Downtown Fort Wayne to “bring greater visibility to the corridor and the unique businesses” located in the Wells Street expansion.

“I’m thrilled to be represented on their website that gets so many views,” says Olinger.

In addition to marketing support, Downtown Fort Wayne also provides its area businesses with beautification efforts through its Clean & Safe program, which includes “litter removal, graffiti cleanup, sidewalk pressure washing, and overall district maintenance,” Wallace says. 

Clean & Safe also uses water from the St. Marys River for landscaping and plant watering throughout the Downtown Fort Wayne District. 

“It’s a sustainable and cost-effective approach that helps reduce reliance on treated municipal water while supporting the health of our downtown plantings,” Wallace adds.

Though much of this work may go unnoticed, businesses feel the relief of having fewer tasks to shoulder themselves. 

“Having a team come through to take care of [litter] is so great. Any chore off my plate makes a big difference in my day-to-day task list,” says Olinger.

All these services do come at a cost, however. Commercial, taxpaying property owners within Downtown Fort Wayne incur an assessment that is proportionally assessed. “There’s a cost for being involved, but the benefits far outweigh the costs,” according to Leitch.

Those benefits were obvious to Strong. For years prior to the expansion, she saw “the positive impact” Downtown Fort Wayne had in other downtown areas and corridors. “Their efforts to maintain, promote, and support those districts have been successful, and I believe the Wells Street Corridor will benefit from those same resources and opportunities.”

One thing the Wells Street Corridor has already benefited from is the collaboration enabled by Downtown Fort Wayne to tackle big projects. Wire cites a recent effort to improve the area around Hop River Brewing Company, which included removing an unsightly fence. Downtown Fort Wayne enlisted students from YouthBuild Academy to assist with the project, which resulted in better visibility for Hop River and valuable experience for the students.

“The project is a great example of how DTFW works collaboratively with community partners, property owners, businesses, and local youth organizations to make meaningful improvements that benefit both the surrounding neighborhood and the downtown district,” Wallace says.

Fostering a sense of community through events is another part of Downtown Fort Wayne’s work. Wire looks forward to Night Market in August, part of the DTFW Summer Series, as well as Art This Way in October. For Strong, Downtown Fort Wayne’s arts events bring opportunities to “celebrate and support” local artists. 

“Events and activations remain major priorities because they drive people downtown and support local businesses in meaningful ways,” Wallace says.

Ongoing support, whether from marketing efforts or event planning, helps create community amongst business owners, who face countless challenges. “It’s always better to do things together when you can,” Leitch says.

“The expansion was not simply about growing our boundaries. It was about bringing additional businesses into a network of support that helps strengthen the overall downtown experience,” says Wallace.

“I feel like my shops are now officially part of the community and under downtown’s umbrella, and that right there gives me a sense of security I never felt before,” says Taber.

This story is made possible by support from Downtown Fort Wayne.