Faces of Downtown Goshen

Suffice it to say that Elijah Durnell spends a fair amount of time downtown. He works at TG Music, Ignition Music Garage, and just started at Constant Spring.

“Oh, man, there’s a lot to like about downtown,” Elijah said. “I am also a musician and an artist, and the community downtown is one of the best things about Goshen. People who come to shows here at Ignition and the bands that come to Ignition, they all talk about it: that there’s something special about the community downtown. The arts community, the food, the atmosphere – everyone I’ve talked to loves it, and that’s why I stay around, too.”

“It is our biggest day of the year,” Maggie Schnaars said during downtown Goshen’s recent Small Business Saturday event. “We put on our running shoes for today.”

Maggie is a partner-owner at Rêverie~Yarn, Décor & Gifts, a yarn, decor, and gift boutique. Reverie opened almost seven years ago and has been at its Main Street location the past three years.

“I like getting to know all the people from the area, and also from outside the area,” Maggie said. “We have people travel all the way from California and Canada and across the pond. They come in here and tell us where they’re from. I feel like we should have a map on the wall with pins showing where our customers come from.”

“I do lots of different things downtown,” Taylor Jackson says. “I like to walk my dog downtown. His name is Oscar. He is very friendly. I think a lot of people around here know him more than they know me.”

For the record, Taylor’s ego is fine with that.

“I totally get it,” she says. “He’s just like this little bundle of joy. He’s so happy all the time. I understand why people remember him.”

Taylor moved to Goshen two and a half years ago from St. Joseph, Mich.

“I needed a change of scenery, and this is a really great place,” she says. “I’ve made so many friends here.”

Taylor enjoys being outside downtown, along with the variety of options for shopping and dining. And then there’s The Electric Brew, where she works as a barista.

“I’ve been working here for just over a year,” she says. “…I’ve met so many people, just by working here and coming in here. You see a lot of the same faces – and a lot of different faces! And it’s great.”

Her favorite brew at The Brew?

“I think my favorite drink right now is probably just a large Americano,” she says. “You can’t go wrong with a classic drink. It’s delicious.”

“I love music,” says Goshen-based artist Marlon Martinez. “Music inspires me. It gives me creativity.”

Music and pop media are two big drivers of Marlon’s visual art, which was showcased recently at The Elephant Bar as part of the Goshen Arts Tour. It was not the first time Marlon’s talent has been on display downtown.

Marlon grew up in Goshen and has worked downtown since 2013. He’s interned at The Gift of G.A.B. Goshen’s Alternative Boutique and two years ago started working at Constant Spring.

“I host and serve there,” Marlon says. He also creates the Spring’s eye-catching chalkboard art.

“I’ve also been doing little murals for businesses,” he adds. “I did one for the Old Bag Factory and then I did one for The Crypt mo-ped shop. Those guys are pretty cool.”

“A lot of karaoke,” Ronda Jordan-Scarlett says of what brings her downtown. “I like to sing. I host karaoke shows and I also sing in a blues band, Big Daddy Dupree and the Broke & Hungry Blues Band. It’s a mouthful. I jokingly call it the Big Daddy Orchestra. We’re eight pieces, so it’s a big band.”

Suffice it to say that Ronda and singing have a history.

“Since I was in utero,” she says of how long she’s been at it. “I don’t remember not singing, to tell you the truth.”

Ronda hosts karaoke at different venues for all sorts of occasions. She has a regular Wednesday night gig at The Elephant Bar, 227 S. Main St., Goshen. She was there one recent evening sharing her talent and setting the stage for others to have their time in the spotlight, too.

For anyone new to karaoke, Ronda has some advice.

“You just have to have fun,” she says. “It doesn’t matter if you can’t carry a tune in a bucket. If you’re having fun, you’re doing it right. That’s really all that matters. If you’re a little apprehensive, get up with a couple people so you’re all together. It kind of rolls you into it. It gets a little easier. And then once you start, you’re addicted. It’s totally like drugs.”