Downtown Pendleton business owners want to mirror communities such as Nashville in southern Indiana.

They envision streets lined with ornate lamps, flourishing antique shops, places to eat, boutiques and sidewalks stamped to look like brick.

Pendleton officials are making landscaping improvements to downtown piece by piece as money becomes available.

And the Downtown Retail Association is growing each year with its efforts to attract people to the area.

Landscaping improvements will likely help the association’s efforts, business owners said.

The town has spent about $10,000 during the past two years to install new street lamps and sidewalks along Pendleton Avenue north of State Street, and along the east side of Pendleton Avenue south of State Street, Town Manager Doug McGee said. The new sidewalks are stamped to look like brick.

Town officials plan to work on the west side of Pendleton Avenue and both sides of State Street as money becomes available, McGee said.

Landscaping work will make downtown more appealing to new businesses and consumers because it will provide a sense of uniformity between town businesses, said Jessica Green, a member of the Pendleton Downtown Retail Association.

The association started in the mid 1990s and has 52 members. The group aims to support the local community by providing a network between town businesses and promoting events that bring people downtown, said Dennis Ashley, association president.

For example, the association helps organize the Christmas in Pendleton celebration, Heritage Festival and the Highway 38 Sale in May.

The Highway 38 Sale is along Indiana 38 and involves businesses from Noblesville to New Castle. Any business can rent street space in Pendleton along Indiana 38.

“It’s like a glamorized garage sale,” Ashley said.

Having an active, visually appealing downtown will also help attract new businesses into the area.

Pendleton has some vacant frontage space in the heart of downtown, as well as about 12,000 square feet of space in the Depot Shops, which is the old Macy’s building south of Pendleton Avenue and State Street, McGee said.

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