EHK is now Historic Downtown Kendallville

Kendallville’s Main Street organization has been known as “Experience the Heart of Kendallville” (EHK) for the past seven years. The transition to becoming a stand-alone 501(c)3 organization in May 2022 was followed up more recently by completing a process to bring a fresh look and feel that reflects feedback from the community and aligns with the organization’s objectives to revitalize and enhance the vibrancy of the downtown corridor.

“Historic Downtown Kendallville” is the new name selected by the organization’s board of directors, a leadership team comprised of members of the community who represent a variety of demographics and perspectives and who share a passion for the transformational strategies developed to take Kendallville into the future.

“Changing our name and logo has been in discussion by the board for a very long time. We needed a fresh new look to go along with the exciting new changes being made downtown,” explained Kristen Johnson, Kendallville’s Main Street Manager.

“This spring, we went through a fairly rigorous rebranding process with the leadership and guidance of marketing professional, Lori Gagen. Lori is the owner of Catchy Creations LLC and she manages our website, among other things,” Johnson continued. “With her help, we were able to create a logo that reflects the vision for downtown Kendallville’s future while also creating a more modern and relevant digital presence that conveys a positive and harmonious message.”

The new logo is an oval shape created by brightly colored curves that reflect an active, forward-moving community. The colors used mirror those of Indiana Main Street and Main Street USA to help define the organization’s mission and purpose. Both a modern, simple font, and a more classic cursive font are used in the name. A distinct representation of the lamp posts installed in 2021 help define the brand’s relationship to place and pay homage to the unique, historic features of the district. A heart, incorporated into the first letter of “Kendallville,” pays respect to the organization’s roots as the “Heart of Kendallville” and emote a bit of the district’s more modern, whimsical features.

In addition to new branding, Historic Downtown Kendallville has also reviewed and updated the organization’s mission and vision statements. Those are featured on the updated website.

“Our organization is growing rapidly and building great momentum and interest, and this new branding will help foster that momentum going forward,” added Tara Streb, Main Street President.

Historic Downtown Kendallville has added several new board members since the city was named a PreservINg Main Street Pilot Community in late 2021. Those who support the economic development, design, organization and/or promotion of downtown Kendallville are encouraged to contact Johnson at kendallvillemainstreet@gmail.com to get involved. Find more information about upcoming events, the PreservINg Main Street project, and to subscribe to the organization’s blog for future updates at www.kendallvillemainstreet.com.