THE TM 911 Franklin Street Weekly Newspaper Michigan City, IN 46360 Volume 29, Number 38 Thursday, September 26, 2013 At a Crossroads Temple News Agency’s Longtime Owner Celebrates The Past While Making Plans For His Future by William Halliar It is diffi cult to wrap words, phrases and expres- used bookstore and, yes, musical performance ven- sions around experiencing La Porte’s Temple News ue are alive and vibrate with the history of people Agency for the fi rst time. who have passed through its doors over the decades. To say the décor is eclectic is an understatement. Folks who visited the famous old landmark in Every available surface is decorated with eye-catch- knickers and saddle shoes as little children are now ing, entertaining memorabilia. The walls of the grandparents bringing their little ones in to enjoy a 95-year-old coffee shop/old-fashioned soda fountain/ sweet treat at the same marble counter where they Continued on Page 2 Customers relax outside Temple News Agency. THE Page 2 September 26, 2013 THE 911 Franklin Street • Michigan City, IN 46360 219/879-0088 • FAX 219/879-8070 In Case Of Emergency, Dial e-mail: News/Articles - [email protected] email: Classifieds - [email protected] http://www.thebeacher.com/ PRINTED WITH Published and Printed by TM Trademark of American Soybean Association THE BEACHER BUSINESS PRINTERS Delivered weekly, free of charge to Birch Tree Farms, Duneland Beach, Grand Beach, Hidden 911 Shores, Long Beach, Michiana Shores, Michiana MI and Shoreland Hills. The Beacher is also delivered to public places in Michigan City, New Buffalo, LaPorte and Sheridan Beach. of the old soda fountain/ coffee shop. His entrepre- Continued from Page 1 Crossroads neurial ego said, “I can do this even better.” once sat. Imagine the stories shared through the Temple News Agency may seem like an odd moni- years over hundreds of scoops of ice cream, mountains ker for a coffee shop cum soda fountain/bookstore/ of foamy whipped cream and barrels of red cherries. music venue, but the story of the name actually has Temple News Agency, 816 Jefferson Ave., is a vi- its roots as far back as 1838 when the Masonic Ex- brant, living artifact of northern Indiana history. celsior Lodge No. 41 fi rst signed its charter in La Of course, the character of any business tends to Porte. The lodge prospered and grew, and in 1913 refl ect the ideals and imagination of its owner, and built a four-story headquarters, or Temple, at 820 Temple is no exception. Jefferson Ave. The top two fl oors of the new building were used for lodge business, the second-fl oor offi ce space was rented out and the ground level became retail space. Temple News Agency opened in the Masonic Lodge building on the ground fl oor 95 years ago. In 1918, newspapers and magazines were the only source of local and world news, and the people of La Porte were eager to hear of what was going on in the world of the day. The “Great War” in Europe was Temple News Agency Owner Mike Sitar. Mike Sitar is philosopher of the coffee bean, guru of the old-fashioned soda and sage of the used-book business. He has been the owner and guiding spirit behind Temple News Agency for the last 18 years and now is at a crossroads in his life by deciding to put the business up for sale. When he fi rst walked into Temple News Agency, he knew it was the kind of coffee shop he would like The Masonic Excelsior Lodge No. 41 logo outside the building. to “hang out” in, so after an examination of the ac- count books and some deep thinking on the subject, just coming to a close, and the United States was he made the business his own. From that point for- coming into its own as a world power. There was ward, his personality began to shape the character news of business, farming and new farm machinery THE September 26, 2013 Page 3 and, of course, the fashions of the day, all to be found in print. Temple News Agency became a central distribu- tion point for the dissemination of information in La Porte. Periodicals would come into the agency It’s Soup Time! from Chicago via train. Folks in town could walk to the agency and pick up a paper, or for those who lived further out of town, the papers were delivered by couriers. Interestingly, these news couriers, or We offer 4 to 6 Soups Daily paper boys, sometimes scratched their names on the bricks at the back of the building while they awaited deliveries. These names and scribbles can still be seen in the bricks at the back of the build- Delicious Sandwiches made from fresh ing. During a recent re-tuck pointing project, Sitar made sure the etchings were preserved for future ingredients and bakery fresh bread generations to see. You can still buy a newspaper at Temple News Agency, but it has become so much more. Preserva- tion is an important consideration in the way Si- tar conducts his business. Here is one place in town 231 West 7th Street, Michigan City 874-SOUP Tues-Sat 11:00 am-7:00 pm • Sun 11:00 am-5:00 pm Call for Fall and Winter Hours 12 on the Lake Michigan City 219-873-1788 Customers enjoy the old-fashioned sweets counter at Temple News Agency where a person can experience life as it was many SUNDAYS years ago. Sitar stresses that “just because a thing Bloody Mary & Game Day Beer Specials is old doesn’t mean that it should be preserved,” but Old Fashioned Pot Roast Dinner $15.00 this vintage soda fountain is a gem and needs to be protected. This experience is not encountered as it “TALENT-FILLED TUESDAYS” would be in a museum, where one views objects on Open Mic 8 p.m.-12 a.m. display, but rather a customer can experience and Late Night Menu & Drink Specials enjoy history fi rsthand. A delicious freshly brewed cup of coffee, crafted from beans ground on site can 2 FOR $22 MENU be savored by pallet as well as nostril, or you can Every Tuesday & Wednesday starts at 4 p.m. lose yourself in a handmade chocolate sundae craft- ed from the fi nest local ice cream available. “WINEY” WEDNESDAYS Sitar realized that businesses are constantly be- 1/2 off Select Glass or Bottles of Wines ing pushed to be bigger and better and, of course, Starts at 4 p.m. more modern, so he added WiFi and a computer to his shop. He did his research, seeking out cof- “THIRSTY” THURSDAYS fee roasters and tasting their wares, his goal be- Margaritas, Martinis, and More for $4 ing to serve a “really good” cup of coffee. He tast- Starts at 4 p.m. ed ice cream with the perfect fl avors in mind and Casual Dining Open to the Public Year Round researched soda recipes until he hit upon just the 11:30 a.m. Daily, 7 Days a Week right ingredients and procedure for making them. www.watersedgemc.com Continued on Page 4 THE Page 4 September 26, 2013 Temple News Agency also is a very intimate busi- Continued from Page 3 Crossroads ness, and much of the store’s personality is created Now, 18 years after he took over the business, he by the cast of regulars who stop by daily for their has doubled the square footage of the store, adding morning coffee or just to have a chat with Sitar. books and a music performance area to the store. Books and really good coffee need a spiritual Sitar has always been an avid reader. When he component, so Sitar added a musical venue to the fi rst took over Temple News Agency, there was a lo- mix. Sitting in one corner of the store is a collec- cal bookstore in operation just around the corner. tion of musical instruments, and anyone is invited Sitar, however, believed that while competition is to sit down and play, thus adding their muse to the a good thing, too much can dilute the business and character of the store. All of the instruments are then no one wins. So, he decided not to carry books acoustic, because Sitar likes to encourage talk and in his store. When the bookstore closed, it became discussion at Temple and does not want anything obvious there was a need in the community, so Sitar to compete with the chat. He says some really great included a collection of used books in his store. At musicians have graced his stage over the years. Temple, you can fi nd a good read, no matter your Sitar has been very particular about the way taste in literature, from Star Trek, to graphic novels things are run at Temple. His research into what to history texts. it takes to make a good old-fashioned soda is a case in point. It was his goal to create a treat a grand- pa could taste and recall, with a knowing smile, the same taste he enjoyed 75 years ago. Sitar re- searched the subject extensively and teaches his young assistants the proper way to stir chocolate syrup and ice cream to a liquid and then add soda with a big scoop of ice cream on top. He tells his young students they are learning an art form that no one else knows anymore. Liz Starkey, Mike Sitar’s assistant, works behind the sweets counter.