DRIVING DOWN East 10th Street, there’s a curious little structure partially tucked into the grassy slope of the block between Jefferson and North Beville avenues. Blink, and you’ll miss it, because it’s the size of a postage stamp compared to the buildings surrounding it. Whether due to its cute stature or the fact that it’s been a fixture on the corner since the early 1900s, it is beloved by those who know it.
Over the last century, it has housed a vast number of establishments, from a home appliance repair shop and a liquor store to several burger joints and more. In 2023, it was slated for demolition due to its deteriorating condition. Luckily, a facade grant from the Local Initiatives Support Corporation of Indianapolis saved the property by providing funds for a new roof, brickwork, windows, and doors.
Dustin Leach, the owner of Great Day Tattoo in Irvington, had admired the building on East 10th Street for well over a decade—he worked on his motorcycle next door at Cycle-Re-Cycle Part II—always thinking it’d be the perfect spot for a tattoo shop. When he learned it was available, he jumped at the opportunity. No other buildings even crossed his mind as contenders. “This was always the spot I would have chosen,” he says…