Krieg Religious Supply opens in new location as old building is demolished

When the owners of Krieg Brothers Religious Supply store were told they needed to vacate the building they had been in for more than 50 years, they weren't sure about their next move.

The building, at 119 S. Meridian St., was deteriorating and unsafe, said Jane O'Connor, who bought the business with her husband, John, in 2014. It was partially demolished earlier this week.

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The O'Connors searched for a new spot for the religious supply store, which has been a Downtown fixture for about 125 years. On Feb. 24, they'll open at their new location at 536 E. Market St., just east of the Wheeler Mission.

"Try as we might, we couldn't find anything else, and this just fell into our laps," O'Connor said. "We had been looking and looking Downtown but nothing fit. I got a call from North Carolina, and he said, 'I think we've got a building for you.' It's just really a blessing. God uses people in really interesting ways all the time."

The owner of the empty building had read an IndyStar story in August about Krieg's plight and reached out. The 4,800-square-feet Market Street spot housed a camera store that closed a decade ago.

"(Other locations were) just beyond our means," O'Connor said. "They've been very reasonable with us."

Landing in that spot, O'Connor said, was more than luck.

"That's just a God thing," she said.

Krieg's business model won't change; the O'Connors will continue to work mostly with churches. They plan to use the same Krieg Bros. sign from the South Meridian Street location.

"I just think there's a lot of history there," she said.

The Krieg family, who established the business in 1892, sold the South Meridian Street building in 2011 to local developer Rick Coombes. The religious supply store closed that same year, and reopened when the O'Connors bought the business.

The old Krieg building will soon become a seven-story mixed-use project, said Allie Brooks with the Department of Metropolitan Development.

All but the front third of building was demolished. Construction is expected to begin immediately after demolition.

Coombes was not reachable for comment despite repeated attempts by the IndyStar.

Call IndyStar reporter Amy Bartner at (317) 444-6752. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.