A husband-and-wife entrepreneurial team wants to bring a boutique, event space and private social club to the former Erlewein Mortuary & Crematory property in Fortville.
FORTVILLE — A couple who lives just outside of town has plans to turn a former funeral home into a boutique with event space and a private social club.
They’re seeking approvals for a liquor license under an unusual initiative the town started a couple years ago, as well as funding assistance for facade improvements.
Sheila and Scott Brown became the new owners of the building at 124 E. Staat St. last November. Built in 1910, the three-story property formerly housed Greenfield-based Erlewein Mortuary &Crematory’s Fortville location.
The Browns plan to put boutique retail on the property’s first floor, event space on its second and space for a private social club on its third.
Sheila Brown, who has a background in marketing and event planning, said the boutique will sell clothing, home goods and other items that aren’t available at big chains and can be difficult to find online.
“These brands want to be exclusive; they want this type of atmosphere, and they want a luxury experience,” she said.
Her husband, Scott Brown, owns two construction supply distribution companies, a roll-off container business and is involved in a startup involving high-end acrylics.
“We’ve been looking at trying to find a place for a small business for about a year now,” he said. “And when Erlewein came up, we thought that would be a particularly good opportunity.”
The couple always had a boutique in mind for their small-business venture. When the Erlewein property became available, they were drawn to its appearance and history, and began thinking of ways to maximize its space, leading to the ideas for the event space and private social club.
“The upstairs, it’s just really unique; it’s cool,” Sheila Brown said. “We (have) a vision for how it’ll look. We’ll trim it out, make it that old kind of pub-y feel — wood, leather — just something different and unique that we don’t have in the area. And we feel like we will pull people in with these products.”
Sheila Brown said food for events would be catered in and that she hopes to partner with local restaurants.
She foresees members of the social club being part of the Fortville community and surrounding area.
“It’s going to be open to everyone, but I would like to see people that care about the community, like-minded business-people that want to be there to connect and help expand things,” she said.
The Browns plan to open up the third floor to the circular deck extending from it, which currently isn’t accessible. They’d also like to add a large deck off the second floor and possibly enclose it. The couple is considering updating the outside of the building as well with new siding materials and possibly wrapping its columns in a new material like cedar.
Sheila and Scott Brown plan to apply to the Fortville Redevelopment Commission’s new facade improvement program, which has $50,000 for making matches to exterior improvements on commercial buildings.
They’re seeking a permit to serve liquor at the property as well through Fortville’s riverfront development district, which the town created in 2020 along Stottlemeyer Ditch that winds through town.
Town leaders created the district as a way to spark economic development, as Indiana municipalities are only allowed a certain number of alcoholic beverage permits. There is no limit, however, within a riverfront development district, which state law says can be established within 1,500 feet of waterways.
After Fortville started creating its district, Greenfield, McCordsville and New Palestine soon followed with ones of their own. If approved, the Browns’ riverfront alcoholic beverage permit would be the first in the county.
The town’s redevelopment commission is slated to hold a public hearing on the permit at its next meeting, scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 17, at Town Hall, 714 E. Broadway St.
After the hearing, the commission will determine whether to endorse the Browns’ application to the Indiana Alcohol and Tobacco Commission. The Hancock County Alcoholic Beverage Commission would have to consider the application as well.
State law prohibits establishments from having alcohol permits that are within 200 feet of a church unless the church grants a waiver. Gateway Community Church of Fortville is right across the street from the Browns’ property and has provided a waiver.
Erlewein Mortuary &Crematory had owned the property since 2003. B.J. Erlewein, co-owner and manager of the business, recalled the extensive remodeling the property underwent after she and her husband, Dane, bought it from a previous funeral service business. More minor remodeling projects followed over the next 18 years.
She noted how it was built over a century ago as a private residence.
“It was always a challenge to maintain, but more importantly it was really difficult to make it work for a modern funeral service or celebration of life,” she said.
Erlewein’s Greenfield location, on the other hand, is much larger and much more conducive to hosting large crowds. It served about 275 families last year, she continued, while a small percentage of clients chose the Fortville location. She added it also became difficult to split staff between the two locations.
The business was at a crossroads: do another extensive remodeling in Fortville knowing the facility didn’t work well as a modern funeral home, or focus all attention where the business was already serving the majority of clients in Greenfield. Erlewein said when an opportunity arose to sell to someone who would preserve the property and operate it responsibly, the choice was clear.
“Our Greenfield location is extremely busy, so we don’t have any immediate plans to open another location, but we do always like to keep our eyes open for a good opportunity,” Erlewein said.
