Goshen's Southside Soda Shop gains new opportunity to preserve historic roots  

GOSHEN, Ind. — The Southside Soda Shop in Goshen suffered a fire this past March. Now a special grant will help make some new upgrades to the building while preserving its historic roots.

As the soda shop approaches their 40th anniversary, money from the National Trust for Historic Preservation and American Express will go towards exterior upgrades only.

Nicole Boyd Lehman, the baker and daughter of owners says, “this will help preserve historic restaurants primarily the exterior of the restaurant and so it's a 50-thousand-dollar grant that needs to go towards renovating the exterior of the restaurant.”

With this grant the business must keep to the central theme of the shop so all the colors and styles will remain the same to keep its historic look.

When the fire happened 5 months ago, there was damage mainly to the apartments above but also water and fire damage to the shop. The Southside Soda Shop is one of 50 historic restaurants across the nation that received this grant money.

Nicole Boyd Lehman explains they will be “able to use this money to get some new signage, to get some awnings, to repaint, we're going to resize some of the building so the building will retain its historic look, but it'll all be updated, and then it'll be able to be preserved for future generations.”

This building has been around since before the 1940’s and for the Boyd Family this has been their family business for almost 40 years.

Nick Boyd, owner of the Southside Soda Shop says, “I mean, there's not a lot of businesses where the family, you know, can be so involved together. At times, we'll have like four generations Charity's dad, he's in his 90s. He still comes in.”

Now the four generations get to create their own memories at the soda shop. Lehman tells ABC 57’s Sidney Moore, “our children have so many of the same experiences that I had growing up. I went to school right next door, and now my youngest is there in first grade, so after school, he gets to come over here and have a snack. And sometimes, you know, a friend will pop in too.”

Lehman explains that they came across this grant opportunity from a customer. The owner Nick Boyd says that the customers are the most important part of the business. “Just all the people we get to meet. Our customers were in a residential area, and we don't have a parking lot. Our neighbors walk from their homes here.”

This historic grant will allow the Boyd family to keep this business in the family for future generations.