A Civic launch space in indY
Turn your idea into an address.
Ground Floor is a launch space for retailers, food concepts, makers, and neighborhood businesses ready to open their doors.
Key Commercial Corridors
•
$0 Application Fee
•
1 First Real Step
•
Key Commercial Corridors • $0 Application Fee • 1 First Real Step •
Ground Floor is a civic launch space designed to help new businesses take their first real step.
We provide accessible retail and commercial opportunities for entrepreneurs ready to move from idea to storefront — with spaces designed for food, retail, service, art, and neighborhood-focused concepts.
This is where businesses start.
Who Should Apply
Built for the businesses just getting their footing.
Retail Concepts
Storefronts ready to put product in front of real customers.
Food & Beverage Startups
Concepts ready to serve a neighborhood, not just a pop-up.
Artists & Makers
Studios and shops ready to sell directly to the public.
Service Businesses
Operators ready for a fixed location people can find.
Emerging Local Brands
Brands with momentum looking for their first physical home.
First-Time Entrepreneurs
No prior storefront required. Just a plan worth testing.
Why Ground Floor
What you’ll get
Affordable launch space
Real customer feedback
Visibility in Indianapolis neighborhoods
Flexible opportunities to grow
A community of local entrepreneurs
Supportive city and partner ecosystem
How It Works
From idea to open door.
Apply
The application period has passed.
Review
Our team reviews applications for fit, readiness, and neighborhood alignment.
Launch
Selected businesses receive support preparing their space and opening to the public.
Ground Floor 101
Practical, honest, and full of people thinking hard about what comes next for their businesses. We covered finding the right space, reading a commercial lease, and the mistakes that catch first-time tenants.
A huge thank you to our panelists:
Bryan Chandler, Eclipse Real Estate
Mike Gillis and Gary Patterson, WDRFA
Amber Gyselinck, Lapis Lily Market
Polina Osherov, PATTERN
Catherine Esselman, Cat Consulting LLC
Brands that started here and kept going.
WDRFA (2024)
We Don’t Run From Adversity (WDRFA) opened their clothing storefront on Massachusetts Avenue following their graduation from Ground Floor (formerly St’Artup 317).
HBH Professional (2025)
Cosmetologist A’Bryanna Williams turned years of custom-mixing hair products for her clients into HBH Professional, a hair care line she built with her husband D’Angelo and his logistics background.
Nate Redd Clothing (2025)
Ronald Williams spent more than a decade designing custom clothing for fellow sneakerheads before a St’Artup 317 invitation brought Nate Redd into a retail space at The Stutz.
Lapis Lily MarkeT (2026)
Artist Amber Gyselinck founded Lapis Lily Market in 2019 as a whimsical boutique of quirky gifts, handcrafted art, and her signature Trinket Club, and St’Artup 317 brought it to a storefront in the historic Stutz Building.
Julian James Bespoke Leather Goods (2026)
Tracy James II started Julian James BLG in 2015 after designing his own backpack from local leather, and St’Artup 317 gave his handcrafted wallets, duffels, and bags, once called “the best kept secret in Indy,” a storefront in the historic Stutz Building.
Every business starts somewhere.
Start here.
