Eighteen Niles restaurants and cafes have come together to host the city’s first restaurant week event.

Through the week of March 1 through the 7, locally owned restaurants within the 49120 ZIP code will offer special menus and events at discounted prices. The structure is similar to the Downtown South Bend Restaurant Week event where each restaurant will offer its own special menu, with pricing and offerings varying depending on the restaurant.

Participating local restaurants include Apothica Teas, Niles Brewing Company, Iron Shoe Distillery, Create Bar and Grill, Front Street Pizza Pub, Veni’s Sweet Shop, Wings Etc. and more.

The idea came from restaurant operators such Howard and Laura Tuthill, owners of Iron Shoe Distillery and Create Bar and Grill manager Nate Barnett, as well as community leaders with the Niles DDA Main Street and Greater Niles Chamber of Commerce in an effort to support local business that have been affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

Two weeks ago, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer allowed restaurants to reopen for dine-in service after an initial “pause” in November. However, there are still strict protocols in place such as a 25% capacity limitation.

Iron Shoe owner Laura Tuthill said the conversation for restaurant week began before indoor dining was allowed once again and the idea was to offer something even for carryout. Because of that, the majority of the deals offered are also available for takeout and are carryout-package friendly.

“We’ve never done this before in Niles and we’ve participated in other restaurant weeks in South Bend. so we thought this would be a great way to highlight some fun dishes and establish Niles as a foodie destination,” Laura Tuthill said Monday.

She said local restaurateurs plan to offer the restaurant week biannually and are already in discussion about plans in the fall.

For a full list of participating restaurants, as well as to view special menus, visit www.eatdrinkniles.com.
Kohl’s on Grape Road to get Sephora

A local Kohl’s store will soon be remodeled to make way for a national partnership.

In December, Sephora and Kohl’s announced plans to open 200 Sephora beauty shops inside Kohl’s stores by next fall. According to a report by CNBC, the companies have plans to open 850 sites by 2023.

According to a recent construction design release, the Kohl’s at 4410 Grape Road in Mishawaka will be getting a Sephora soon. The space will be about 2,500 square feet and will offer most of the same services found at other Sephora stores, including help with makeup application, and will be replacing Kohl’s current beauty assortment.

It was not clear when construction will begin at the local store or when the Sephora will be open inside the store.

Sephora previously had a similar setup with JC Penney, but the department store filed for bankruptcy in 2020. A spokesperson with JCP told CNBC that it is working on a new layout for its beauty department to replace Sephora.
Target on southside to undergo more construction

Target on Ireland Road will soon be under construction once again.

According to a construction design release, the Target at 1400 E. Ireland Road on South Bend’s southside will undergo construction, although it is unclear exactly what that will consist of.

In 2019, both area Targets underwent extensive remodeling as part of a company initiative to remodel 1,000 stores across the country to feature “modernized design elements” and “more technology and digital experiences,” a spokesperson said.

Target also announced a partnership with Ulta in November. According to a news release, scaled down Ulta shops will begin opening inside 100 Target stores beginning in late 2021, with more to be added as time progresses. Exact Target locations for the new shops were not given.

A Target spokesperson said that the company is “continuously investing in our stores to enhance the guest experience, which includes updates to our stores that make shopping in store and online safer” and that “those plans include our South Bend store.” The spokesperson would not provide any more details about the construction citing other factors that can “influence a project’s timing, scope and specific details during the planning process.”