Wainscott Real Estate at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Northern Indiana

10/07/2026

🏡 𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐊𝐄𝐓 𝐔𝐏𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄: 𝐇𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐓𝐆𝐀𝐆𝐄 𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐒 𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐒𝐄𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐑𝐒

We've been talking about this quite a bit in our office lately.

For the last several years, homeowners got used to hearing about rising home values, bidding wars, and buyers competing over a limited number of houses.

But the market is changing.

And one of the biggest reasons is something neither buyers nor sellers have much control over: mortgage rates.

As of October 1, the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate had climbed to 7.28%, according to Freddie Mac. Just one week earlier, it was 7.03%, and a year ago it averaged 6.34%. That may not sound like an enormous difference on paper.

For someone actually buying a house, though, it matters.

A higher interest rate means a higher monthly payment on the same amount borrowed. Eventually, buyers don't simply keep increasing their budgets to compensate. Some start looking at less expensive homes. Some become much more selective.

And some decide to wait.

We're beginning to see signs of that shift locally.

In St. Joseph County, average daily housing inventory reached 691 homes in August—21% more than a year earlier. Closed sales were down 6% from last year, and new pending contracts were down 5%. Months of inventory increased 26%.

In other words, buyers have more choices than they did a year ago.

And that changes the conversation sellers need to be having.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐣𝐨𝐛𝐬?

This week, Indiana REALTORS® published some interesting employment numbers that add another piece to the picture.

Unemployment improved year-over-year in all 12 Indiana metropolitan areas in August. More than 95% of the labor force was employed in every Indiana metro. On the surface, that's encouraging.

But there's an important detail buried underneath those numbers.

Indiana REALTORS® points out that in many metro areas, unemployment fell partly because the labor force itself became smaller. Nine of Indiana's 12 metro areas had fewer people participating in the labor force, and seven had fewer employed residents than a year earlier.

That's why a low unemployment rate doesn't necessarily mean the job market is booming.

Indiana REALTORS® ultimately came to an interesting conclusion: employment is still strong enough that they don't expect the softer job market to have a major effect on housing demand right now.

Their bigger concern for homebuyers?

Interest rates.

And we agree.

𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞'𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐬.

A homeowner might reasonably think:

"If unemployment is relatively low and people are still working, why would I need to lower my expectations?"

Because having a job and being able—or willing—to make a particular mortgage payment are two different things.

Consider what's happening with affordability in St. Joseph County.

The median monthly payment associated with a median-priced home reached about $1,929 in August, up from $1,878 a year earlier. For a household earning $75,000, only about 43.5% of recent listings were considered affordable, down from 46.1% a year earlier.

Buyers are feeling that.

And when buyers have both higher borrowing costs and more houses to choose from, an overpriced house becomes much easier to skip.

That's probably the biggest adjustment sellers will have to make if these conditions continue.

The house down the street may have sold for a certain price last year. Your neighbor may have received multiple offers a few years ago. An online estimate may still give you a number you really like.

But none of those buyers are standing in your living room today.

Today's buyer has today's interest rate.

And ultimately, that's the buyer your home has to make sense to.

𝐃𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐁𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐤𝐚 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠?

No.

That's important to say.

The August median sale price in St. Joseph County was actually $260,000, up 10% from August 2025. Looking at a less volatile three-month measure, the median was $250,000, up about 2% year-over-year. So we aren't looking at the data and saying, "Home values are collapsing."

We're saying something much simpler:

The balance between buyers and sellers is shifting.

There are more homes on the market. There are fewer closed sales. Pending contracts have softened. Mortgage rates are above 7%. And buyers have more reason to pay attention to price.

That doesn't mean a good house won't sell.

It means pricing it correctly from the beginning matters more than it did when buyers had fewer choices.

A seller who recognizes that early may still be in a very good position.

A seller who insists on pricing for yesterday's market may discover something sellers haven't had to think about nearly as much in recent years:

Their house can sit.

And the longer a home sits, the more buyers start wondering what's wrong with it—even when the only thing wrong may have been the original price.

That's the conversation we're having in our office right now, and it's one we think homeowners considering a move in the next six to twelve months should be having, too.

The market hasn't stopped.

It's adjusting. And sellers may have to adjust with it.

— Wainscott Real Estate Service
Local knowledge. Real estate experience. Community roots.

Market data: Indiana REALTORS, August 2026; mortgage-rate data: Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey. Market conditions vary by property, price range, and location.

SOURCES:

Indiana REALTORS — Indiana Metro Unemployment, August 2026
https://data.indianarealtors.com/reports/stories/indiana-metro-unemployment-august-2026?utm

Indiana REALTORS — St. Joseph County Market Report
https://data.indianarealtors.com/viewreport/2/all/18141/2026/09/09/?utm

Indiana REALTORS — St. Joseph County Housing Affordability Report
https://data.indianarealtors.com/reports/viewreport/14/all/18141/?utm

Freddie Mac — Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS)
https://www.freddiemac.com/pmms?utm

*Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey, October 1, 2026
** Indiana REALTORS®, August 2026, St. Joseph County.

10/02/2026

🍽️ 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐌𝐔𝐍𝐈𝐓𝐘 𝐒𝐏𝐎𝐓𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓: 𝐃𝐎𝐂 𝐏𝐈𝐄𝐑𝐂𝐄’𝐒

We went to Doc Pierce’s for lunch recently, and I have to start with the food because it was genuinely that good.

I ordered soup and a salad, which admittedly doesn't sound very exciting, but this was one of the best I've had in a long time. The romaine was crisp, there were plenty of fresh vegetables, and both the dressing and croutons were homemade. So was the soup. Our friend ordered the chicken tenders, and those were cooked perfectly, too.

It was just a really good lunch.

But sitting there also reminded us how unusual Doc Pierce’s is. There aren't many restaurants left where you can walk in and immediately know you couldn't possibly be anywhere else.

It's dark and comfortable, with all that old wood and beautiful stained glass everywhere. Nothing about it feels like it was designed by a corporate office somewhere. It has a personality—and after 50 years, that's part of the charm.
We got curious about the history afterward and found out that even the name has a pretty great story.

Back in the 1970s, while the restaurant was being developed, a neighboring building burned and was torn down. Behind it was a huge old painted advertisement for Dr. Pierce's Golden Medical Discovery, a patent medicine created by Dr. Ray Vaughn Pierce.

And just like that, Doc Pierce's had its name.

The restaurant opened in July 1976, and many of the things that give it so much character today were part of the vision from the beginning. Antique pieces were collected for the interior, along with stained-glass windows from old churches and estate sales. ABC57 reported that one of the windows above the bar actually came from a funeral home.

Which somehow makes us like it even more. 😂

There are restaurants that survive for a few years, restaurants that make it a decade, and then there are places like Doc Pierce's that become so familiar you almost forget how long they've been there.

People have had first dates there and gone back for anniversaries. Families have been eating there for generations. Employees have spent decades working there.
And this summer, Doc Pierce's quietly turned 50 years old.

That's pretty remarkable.

Maybe that's also why eating there feels different. You're not walking into a recreation of an old restaurant designed to look nostalgic. You're sitting in the real thing—a place that has been collecting Mishawaka stories since 1976.

And thankfully, they're still making a really good bowl of soup. ❤️

So we're curious:
👉 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘋𝘰𝘤 𝘗𝘪𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘦'𝘴 𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘺? 𝘍𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘦? 𝘈𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘢𝘳𝘺? 𝘍𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘳? 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘳, 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦?

📍 Doc Pierce's Restaurant
120 N. Main Street, Mishawaka

— Wainscott Real Estate Service
Local knowledge. Real estate experience. Community roots.

09/30/2026

09/30/2026

🕰️ 𝐌𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐚 𝐌𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬
𝙍𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙢𝙗𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚𝙨, 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 & 𝙢𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙢𝙖𝙙𝙚 𝙈𝙞𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙖𝙣𝙖 𝙝𝙤𝙢𝙚.

👉 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘠𝘖𝘜 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘚𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩 𝘉𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘔𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘬𝘢 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 '80𝘴, '90𝘴 𝘰𝘳 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘺 2000𝘴?

If you were hanging around South Bend in the 1990s, there are some places you probably haven't thought about in years.

For us, two of them are Cap’n Cino’s and Lula’s Cafe.

These weren't the kind of coffee shops where you grabbed a drink through a drive-thru and left.

You went there.

You met friends. You sat around talking about absolutely nothing—or everything. You listened to music. You discovered local artists. You drank coffee long before ordering a complicated coffee drink on an app was part of everyday life. 😂

And recently, we stumbled across something pretty incredible: a 1995 issue of The Observer featuring both of them.

☕ 𝐂𝐀𝐏’𝐍 𝐂𝐈𝐍𝐎’𝐒: 𝐀 𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐓𝐋𝐄 𝐖𝐄𝐈𝐑𝐃, 𝐂𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐕𝐄 & 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐋𝐄𝐓𝐄𝐋𝐘 𝐈𝐓𝐒 𝐎𝐖𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆

Cap’n Cino’s (or “Caps” as we called it) was tucked behind the Speedway Gas Station at Edison and South Bend Avenue, where the car wash now sits.

Owner Adam Sutton was only 24 when The Observer interviewed him. He explained that even the name was a joke—there was no “Cap” or “Cino.” It was simply a play on cappuccino.

But what Sutton was trying to create was much bigger than coffee.

He wanted a place where South Bend's creative community could come together—and particularly somewhere people under 21 could hear bands they otherwise couldn't see in bars. Cap'n Cino's became part coffeehouse, part art gallery, part stage, part studio, and part community gathering place.

And the weekly schedule sounds wonderfully 1995:

🎤 Monday — poetry readings
🎸 Wednesday — acoustic concerts
🥁 Thursday — drum circle
🎶 Friday & Saturday — bands
🎭 Sunday — open stage

There were books, board games, mismatched decorations, local art, and plenty of room to just...hang out. Sutton even envisioned pottery, woodworking, and metalworking spaces, a music studio, and community potluck dinners on the lawn.

Honestly, reading about it today makes you realize how unusual a place like that actually was.

☕ 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐋𝐔𝐋𝐀’𝐒.

Lula’s Cafe opened in March 1995 in Edison Plaza, created by Anna Reilley and Notre Dame graduate Steve Egan. Artists helped design its different spaces and mosaics, giving the cafe what The Observer described as an eclectic living-room feel.

And eclectic might be putting it mildly. 😂

There was a completely blue corner, a medieval corner with a big rough wooden table, a Greek-inspired corner with painted Corinthian columns, and another area arranged like a funky living room.

You could get coffee, soup, salads, pastries, and snacks—but again, the food wasn't really the whole point.

The place was designed for people to stay.

Lula's founders wanted it to be an alternative to the usual social scene and a place where people from South Bend and the surrounding colleges could actually mix. That idea apparently worked.

Over the next 16 years, Lula's became known as South Bend's “community living room.” Students, professors, professionals, artists, teenagers, and longtime locals shared the same space. There were books and board games, poetry readings and cultural events—and nobody seemed particularly anxious for you to finish your coffee and give up your table.

Sadly, Lula's received notice in 2010 that its lease would not be renewed. After searching unsuccessfully for another suitable location, its final day was November 24, 2010.

❤️ And maybe that's what we miss.

Of course there are wonderful coffee shops today.

But there was something about those independent 1990s coffeehouses that felt different.

They weren't just businesses you visited. They were third places—somewhere between home, work, and school where you could show up without much of a plan and somehow spend three hours.

You didn't need an event.

You didn't need a reservation.

You didn't need to buy something every twenty minutes.

Sometimes you just needed some coffee, a couch, and your people.

🏡 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐤 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥, 𝐰𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭.

Buildings matter. Parks matter. Housing matters.

But so do the slightly weird little businesses where people meet one another, make friends, hear local music, fall in love, argue about life, and eventually look back thirty years later and say:

“I loved that place.”

👇 So we're turning this one over to you.

Where did YOU hang out around South Bend and Mishawaka in the '80s, '90s, or early 2000s?

☕ 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘁, 𝗰𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲, 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗲, 𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗯, 𝗼𝗿 𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀?

❤️ If you could bring ONE local business back, what would it be?

And here's the question we're really curious about:

Is there anywhere around Michiana today that gives you that same feeling?

We can't wait to hear these answers. 😊

— Wainscott Real Estate Service
Local knowledge. Real estate experience. Community roots.

09/25/2026

🏛️ 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐌𝐔𝐍𝐈𝐓𝐘 𝐒𝐏𝐎𝐓𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓: 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐤𝐚 𝐇𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐌𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐮𝐦 — 𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐂𝐈𝐓𝐘 𝐇𝐀𝐒 𝐀 𝐋𝐎𝐓 𝐎𝐅 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒 𝐓𝐎 𝐓𝐄𝐋𝐋 ❤️

We spend a lot of time talking about what's changing in Mishawaka—but every once in a while, it's worth stopping to remember what was here before us.

We recently visited the Mishawaka Historical Museum at 121 S. Main Street, and if you've lived in this area for any length of time, you'll probably recognize something inside.

Maybe it's a business you remember. A school. A building that's no longer there. An old Mishawaka name you've heard your whole life. Or something you had completely forgotten about until you see it sitting in front of you again.
That's what makes this little museum so much fun.

(👇 𝙒𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐲𝐨𝐮!
𝙄𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙗𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙊𝙉𝙀 𝙤𝙡𝙙 𝙈𝙞𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙬𝙖𝙠𝙖 𝙗𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨, 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙪𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙩, 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙚, 𝙤𝙧 𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙠 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩'𝙨 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙮𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙨, 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙞𝙩 𝙗𝙚?)

📜 Mishawaka's story goes all the way back to 1832, and inside roughly 1,500 square feet, the museum has managed to pack in an incredible amount of that history. Exhibits cover Mishawaka's businesses and industries, historic landmarks, military heritage, famous Mishawakans, schools, churches, and railroads.

And looking through the exhibits, you quickly realize just how much industry helped shape the city we know today.

Factories and businesses weren't simply places people went to work. They employed generations of families, created neighborhoods, and helped establish Mishawaka's identity. The museum preserves that history through photographs, signs, advertisements, documents, and artifacts donated by people connected to the community. ❤️

🚂 And yes, there's a train!

One of the museum's most charming features is its working model railroad, along with dozens of model train cars. It's a fun reminder of just how important railroads once were to communities like Mishawaka—and it's probably going to be one of the first things younger visitors remember about their trip.

🎭 There's also space devoted to stories that deserve a closer look. The museum's rotating exhibit currently explores the history of the Tivoli Theater, another piece of Mishawaka history that longtime residents may remember—or younger residents may have only heard stories about.

But what we really love about this museum is why it exists in the first place.
The Mishawaka Historical Museum is an independent nonprofit—not a city or county government agency. Its mission is to preserve and celebrate Mishawaka's history, culture, and civic identity and to tell the stories of the people, businesses, organizations, events, and landmarks that shaped the community. It relies on donations, memorials, fundraising, and volunteers to keep doing that work.

🏡 And yes, we think that matters on a real estate page, too.
Real estate isn't only about houses.

It's neighborhoods. Downtown storefronts. Factories where someone's grandparents worked. The school you walked to. The theater where you saw your first movie. The restaurant your parents took you to. And buildings you can still point to decades later and say, "I remember when that was..."
Knowing where a community has been gives you a completely different appreciation for what it is becoming.

And that's exactly why we're enjoying these Community Spotlights so much. ❤️

👇 𝐍𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐲𝐨𝐮!
If you could bring back ONE old Mishawaka business, restaurant, store, or landmark that's disappeared over the years, what would it be?

We have a feeling this question might bring back a few memories. 😊

— Wainscott Real Estate Service
Local knowledge. Real estate experience. Community roots.

📍 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐤𝐚 𝐇𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐌𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐮𝐦
121 S. Main Street, Mishawaka
Tuesday, Friday & Saturday • 10 AM–4 PM
Admission: Adults $5 • Ages 6–18 $3 • Ages 5 & under FREE Mishawaka Museum

Source:
Mishawaka Historical Museum
https://mishawakamuseum.org/

09/24/2026

🏙️𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐌𝐔𝐍𝐈𝐓𝐘 𝐔𝐏𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄: 𝐀 𝐍𝐄𝐖 𝐍𝐄𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐁𝐎𝐑𝐇𝐎𝐎𝐃 𝐈𝐒 𝐓𝐀𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐒𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐄 𝐀𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃 𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐖𝐈𝐍𝐃𝐒 𝐅𝐈𝐄𝐋𝐃

If you haven’t driven around Four Winds Field lately, you might be surprised by just how much this part of downtown South Bend is changing.

For years, there were vacant and underused properties surrounding the ballpark. Now, little by little, those spaces are becoming homes—and bringing more people into a part of downtown that most of us used to think of primarily as a place to catch a Cubs game.

One of the newest additions is Diamond View Apartments, directly across from Four Winds Field at 535 S. Main Street. The development added 60 affordable one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments, and the building was fully occupied by the time its ribbon-cutting was scheduled earlier this month.

There’s also a really special piece to this project. Diamond View partnered with LOGAN Community Resources to provide housing opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities who want to live more independently.

The original vision for the area was even bigger: Diamond View's 60 affordable apartments alongside 90 new market-rate apartments at the neighboring Stadium Flats development. Unfortunately, Stadium Flats suffered a devastating setback on September 8 when the building under construction was destroyed by fire. Thankfully, no injuries were reported, and firefighters kept the flames from spreading to Diamond View and Four Winds Field.

🏡 𝐒𝐨 𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐠𝐞?

Because neighborhoods don’t change one house at a time. New housing brings new residents. New residents support nearby restaurants, shops, and attractions. Vacant land gets put back into use. And over time, all of that can change how people see—and live in—an entire part of the city.

𝑾𝒆’𝒍𝒍 𝒃𝒆 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒆𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒏𝒆𝒙𝒕 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒔 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑩𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒌 𝑫𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒕. 𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒅𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌?

𝑫𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒔𝒆𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝒅𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒑𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒂𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝑭𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝑾𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒔 𝑭𝒊𝒆𝒍𝒅?

— Wainscott Real Estate Service
https://wainscottrealestateservice.bhhsgreatlakes.com/
Local knowledge. Real estate experience. Community roots.

Sources:
https://www.sbrchamber.com/events/detail/2026/09/08/chamber/ribbon-cutting-diamond-view-apartments-logan-center/?utm
https://www.wndu.com
https://docs.southbendin.gov/WebLink/0/edoc/380338/RDC%20Packet%201.25.24.pdf?utm
https://www.wndu.com/2026/09/08/massive-fire-cancels-groundbreaking-new-apartments-near-four-winds-field/?utm
https://www.wvpe.org/wvpe-news/2026-09-08/south-bend-firefighters-keep-downtown-blaze-from-spreading-start-investigation?utm

09/18/2026

🛼 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐌𝐔𝐍𝐈𝐓𝐘 𝐒𝐏𝐎𝐓𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓: 𝐔𝐒𝐀 𝐒𝐊𝐀𝐓𝐄 𝐂𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑

𝑭𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝑭𝒓𝒊𝒅𝒂𝒚 𝑵𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔 𝒐𝒏 𝑾𝒉𝒆𝒆𝒍𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒂 𝑷𝒐𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝑵𝒆𝒘 𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓

If you grew up around Mishawaka in the '80s or '90s, chances are USA Skate Center means something to you. It certainly does to us. This was one of those places where entire evenings disappeared—music blasting, lights flashing across the wooden floor, skating in circles with your friends and, of course, hoping the right person might ask you to couples skate. 😂 Long before cell phones and social media, places like USA Skate were where we actually went to be social.

USA Skate Center opened on North Main Street in 1975, originally planned under the name Roller Dome Skate Center before becoming USA Skate shortly before opening. Its massive hardwood skating floor measured roughly 80 by 160 feet, and over the decades the rink became part of growing up for generations of Michiana kids. The rink finally closed on June 8, 2016, when longtime owner Ken Wall retired—ending a run of more than 40 years.

For nearly a decade, the building at 3909 N. Main Street has sat mostly silent—a strange sight for those of us who remember just how loud and alive it once was. But now there may finally be a new chapter. Developer David Farhan is proposing converting the roughly 24,000-square-foot building into as many as seven smaller commercial spaces, potentially bringing restaurants, a coffee shop, salons, offices, and other businesses into the former rink. The proposal still requires additional zoning approval, with the Board of Zoning Appeals expected to consider it in October.

And maybe that's what makes this one a little bittersweet. We'd certainly love to walk through those doors again, lace up a pair of skates, and see the rink exactly as we remember it. But communities change, and sometimes preserving a property's place in the community means finding a completely new purpose for it. The building that once sat practically surrounded by cornfields is now in the heart of one of Mishawaka's busiest commercial corridors.

Whatever happens next, USA Skate Center has already earned its place in Mishawaka memories. And if this redevelopment moves forward, we'll be watching to see what becomes of a building where so many of us spent our Friday and Saturday nights growing up. Same building. New purpose. And hopefully, the beginning of another chapter for a place that gave Michiana more than four decades of memories. ❤️🛼

📍 Former USA Skate Center | 3909 N. Main Street, Mishawaka
https://share.google/1RG6lCDXoTd5c1vrJ

Community Spotlight presented by Wainscott Real Estate Service at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Northern Indiana Real Estate.

SOURCES:
https://forgottenrollerrinksofthepast.com/USA%20Skate%20Center%20IN.html

https://www.wvpe.org/wvpe-news/2026-09-11/developer-says-new-life-for-old-rink-requires-smaller-tenants?utm

https://dailymishawaka.com/?utm

https://sturgesproperty.com/news/then-vs-now-historical-listings-pt-4?utm

09/16/2026

🏡 𝐖𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐒𝐂𝐎𝐓𝐓 𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐊𝐄𝐓 𝐔𝐏𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄 | 𝐒𝐄𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐌𝐁𝐄𝐑 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔
More homes to choose from, rising prices, and a busy weekend ahead in Michiana!

📊 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓'𝐒 𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐄𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐎𝐂𝐀𝐋 𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐒𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐊𝐄𝐓?
The latest numbers are in for St. Joseph County, and we're seeing an interesting shift.

In August, the median residential sale price reached $260,000, up 10% from a year ago. At the same time, average daily inventory increased more than 20% year-over-year, giving buyers more homes to choose from.

Despite that added inventory, homes that sell are still moving quickly—the median time from listing to pending was just 12 days in August.

For sellers, that means well-priced homes are still attracting buyers. For buyers, the increase in inventory may mean a little more choice than we've seen in recent years.

Affordability, however, continues to be an issue. Only about 43.5% of homes listed recently were considered affordable to a household earning $75,000 per year, according to the Indiana Association of REALTORS®.

𝘚𝘖𝘜𝘙𝘊𝘌: 𝘐𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘢 𝘙𝘌𝘈𝘓𝘛𝘖𝘙𝘚® — 𝘚𝘵. 𝘑𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘱𝘩 𝘊𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘺 𝘈𝘶𝘨𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘵 𝘙𝘦𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵
𝘩𝘵𝘵𝘱𝘴://𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘬𝘢.𝘪𝘯.𝘨𝘰𝘷/𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴/𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘩/?𝘶𝘵𝘮_

______________________________________________________________________________

📅 𝐀𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃 𝐌𝐈𝐂𝐇𝐈𝐀𝐍𝐀 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐊𝐄𝐍𝐃
There's plenty happening around town:

🏈 Notre Dame vs. Michigan State — Saturday, September 19. Another big football weekend is coming to South Bend.

🏟️ Rockne Bash — Friday, September 18 at Notre Dame Stadium, with live music, food trucks, and family activities.

🌿 Fall Greenhouse Plant Sale — Saturday, September 19 from 10 AM–1 PM at Battell Community Center in Mishawaka, featuring plants and local vendors.

🛍️ Mishawaka Market — Sunday, September 20 from 10 AM–2 PM at Ironworks Plaza. Produce, crafts, baked goods, food trucks, live music, and more as the market heads into its final weekends of the season.

Whether you're buying, selling, settling an estate—or simply wondering what your home might be worth in today's market—we're always happy to help.

Wainscott Real Estate Service
Local knowledge. Real estate experience. Community roots.

𝘚𝘖𝘜𝘙𝘊𝘌𝘚:
𝘊𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘔𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘬𝘢 𝘚𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴
𝘩𝘵𝘵𝘱𝘴://𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘬𝘢.𝘪𝘯.𝘨𝘰𝘷/𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴/𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘩/?𝘶𝘵𝘮_

𝘝𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘵 𝘚𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩 𝘉𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘔𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘬𝘢 — 𝘚𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴
𝘩𝘵𝘵𝘱𝘴://𝘸𝘸𝘸.𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘣𝘦𝘯𝘥.𝘤𝘰𝘮/𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘨/𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴-𝘵𝘰-𝘥𝘰-𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴-𝘴𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳/?𝘶𝘵𝘮

09/11/2026

🎶 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐌𝐔𝐍𝐈𝐓𝐘 𝐒𝐏𝐎𝐓𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓: 𝐏𝐇𝐎𝐄𝐍𝐈𝐗 𝐁𝐀𝐑 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐆𝐑𝐈𝐋𝐋
More Than 150 Years of Entertainment in Downtown Mishawaka
Some buildings don't just survive history—they keep finding new ways to bring people together.

Phoenix Bar & Grill has been one of our favorite places in downtown Mishawaka for years. We've spent plenty of nights here singing karaoke (some performances better than others 😂), listening to live bands, catching up with friends, and enjoying one of those local places that just feels unmistakably Mishawaka.

But when we started looking into the history of the building at 101 Lincoln Way West, we discovered something pretty incredible:

People have been coming to this spot for entertainment for more than 150 years.

🔥 𝐀 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐁𝐨𝐫𝐧 𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐚 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐞
On September 5, 1872, a devastating fire swept through downtown Mishawaka, destroying 49 buildings and essentially the city's entire business district.

But Mishawaka rebuilt.

The following year, John Niles, Henry Niles, Joseph Burt, and Buford Holcomb constructed the three-story brick building that still stands here today.

Inside was Burt's Opera House, a roughly 1,000-seat entertainment venue that became a center of community life. People came here for concerts, dances, and plays—but also roller skating and even professional indoor ball games. The second floor housed the Century Club, complete with billiards, reading rooms, and social events.

In other words, long before karaoke night...

Mishawaka was already coming here to have a good time. 😂

🔥 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐈𝐭 𝐑𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐀𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧
Over the generations, the building became home to a variety of businesses, including Hook's Drug Store and the Mustang Restaurant.

Then came another fire.

In the 1980s, a fire destroyed the Covey Restaurant that occupied the space. Once again, however, the building survived, and Don Kelly and his son Rich worked to preserve its history and legacy.

Which makes the name The Phoenix especially appropriate.

A sculpture depicting a phoenix rising from a lion's head once crowned the building—a symbol of rebirth. The surviving lion's head is now preserved at the Hannah Lindahl Children's Museum.

A building born after one fire, surviving another, and still standing more than 150 years later.

It's hard to imagine a better name.

🎤 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐍𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐝
The current Phoenix Bar & Grill opened in 2002, and in a way, the building is still doing exactly what it did in the 1870s:

Giving people somewhere to gather.

Today you'll find karaoke on Wednesdays, open mic nights on Thursdays, and live music regularly filling the building on weekends. Their current calendar also includes things like trivia and Singo.

And that's probably our favorite part of this story.

More than a century ago, people dressed up and came to this building to hear music, see performances, dance, and spend an evening together.

Today, we're still walking through those doors to hear live music, sing karaoke, and spend the evening with friends.

The music has certainly changed.

The reason people gather here really hasn't. ❤️

🏘️ 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐋𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫
When we talk about what makes Mishawaka a great place to live, it isn't only houses, property values, or new development.

It's also the places that give a community its identity.

Historic buildings like the Phoenix connect downtown Mishawaka's past with what the city is becoming today. They remind us that preservation doesn't necessarily mean turning an old building into a museum.

Sometimes the best way to preserve a building is to keep using it.

Keep filling it with people.

Keep making memories inside it.

And after more than 150 years, that's exactly what's still happening at The Phoenix.

📍 Phoenix Bar & Grill
101 Lincoln Way West
Mishawaka, Indiana
https://share.google/bSANeRCNfOyrrTWeQ

🎤 Karaoke • Live Music • Open Mic • Food • Local History

Community Spotlight presented by Wainscott Real Estate Service at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Northern Indiana Real Estate.

Explore the history of The Phoenix in this article: https://thephoenixbarandgrill.com/history/