For the love of books, the stories of Indianapolis and the neighbors who make it home. A coffeehouse, creamery and bookshop is taking shape at 42nd & Boulevard.
Tarkington House brings together Julie Kennedy-Savoie’s entrepreneurial spirit and Steven Savoie’s extensive experience in architecture, design-build and historic renovation. Their first business venture together is a chance to put those strengths to work in a place they care about: Indianapolis.
At 4201 Boulevard Place, they’re creating a family-run coffeehouse, creamery and bookshop with the warmth of an English pub. Rich wood, comfortable rooms, good coffee and books within reach are all part of the idea.
The house’s character, the city’s history and Julie’s love of books help shape what comes next. It’s a place to discover a local writer, gather with friends and spend an unhurried afternoon.
We’re giving this Craftsman house in the Arts and Crafts tradition a useful new life. With Savoie Studios, our plans begin with the character already here: original woodwork, the shakes beneath the siding and rooms made for gathering.
Follow the decisions behind the restoration and adaptation, from keeping the details that matter to making room for a neighborhood coffeehouse, creamery and bookshop.
The coffee bar & connected porch
The coffered-room coffee bar A sweeping stained-wood counter, a tall mirrored back bar and warm brass lighting bring the spirit of an English pub to the coffeehouse.The porch, opened to the fireplace lounge Tufted leather seating beneath the windows, with café tables and chairs opposite, and a proposed opening to the fireplace room.
Renderings based on Steven’s plans for Tarkington House.
Current journal: design concepts and the existing house. Coming in 2027 to the Butler Tarkington neighborhood.
Rendering based on Steven’s plans for the fireplace lounge and porch connection.
Make yourself at home
A good chair. A little longer.
Rich oak, leather chairs, lamplight and a table worth gathering around. Indiana-inspired landscapes and leafy plants bring the rooms to life. Our vision brings the warmth of an English pub to the house’s original fireplace, leaded-glass cabinetry and intimate rooms. Settle in with a coffee, a scoop or a story.
At the barEspresso, coffee, tea and pastries
At the caseHand-dipped ice cream and seasonal treats
The Book Loft · Upstairs
A bookstore that feels like someone’s very good library.
Our upstairs bookstore, The Book Loft, will feel like a favorite library beneath the eaves. Explore Indiana in Ink, our shelf of Indiana voices past and present, alongside the Golden Age of Indiana Literature, personal favorites and books for small readers.
Work by local artists will hang on the walls throughout the house, with changing displays that give you something new to notice. We’re planning author readings, signings and opportunities to meet the people behind the books and artwork.
On the shelvesIndiana classics, later literary voices and the writers working here today
On the wallsA changing showcase of work by local artists
The Book Loft will bring our bookstore upstairs. We envision opening the attic-like rooms into one welcoming space, refinishing the wood floors and lining the sloping walls with stained-wood bookcases. An oval meeting table, upholstered chairs and a separate sofa-and-armchair reading corner will make room for both conversation and a quiet chapter.
The Book Loft will overlook the ice cream parlor below through the opening where the front staircase will be removed. The separate interior staircase will provide access to the loft. See the vision.
Planned for spring 2027. The layout and renovation details are taking shape.
Books, then conversation
Comfortable chairs around a generous table will make space for book clubs, small meetings and creative workshops among the shelves.
For your occasion
Alongside the bookstore, we’re planning room for private gatherings, celebrations and time with friends. A space of your own, with the warmth and character of Tarkington House.
Tell Julie what you have in mind. Capacity, availability and event arrangements will be shared as plans develop.
A mural for our corner
The Stories We Share.
A little magic, rooted in this place. We’re imagining the side of Tarkington House as a storybook for the neighborhood: an open book becoming a great tree, a Fairview streetcar passing through its branches, and neighbors finding one another among the pages.
The streetcar recalls the route that turned at 42nd and Boulevard. The water and woodland imagery nod to the Central Canal and old Fairview Park. Readers of different generations bring the story into the present.
Mural and exterior concept. A starting point for a future local artist, with the final artwork still to be developed.
What belongs in the picture?
A neighborhood memory. A person who made a difference. A small detail only someone who lives here would know. We’d love to hear your ideas.
An entrepreneur, gardener and lifelong reader, bringing her love of books and Indianapolis to a new family business.
Julie Kennedy-Savoie is an Indianapolis entrepreneur, gardener and lifelong reader. Her love of books, gardens and the stories of Indianapolis is part of what she brings to Tarkington House.
Julie’s early fascination with Indiana writers, including Dan Wakefield, gave her a lasting interest in the people and places behind the stories.
The bookshop will reflect her broader love of reading: Indiana’s literary tradition, local authors and the books she loves enough to put into a friend’s hands.
At 4201 Boulevard Place, Julie is bringing that idea into business with her husband, Steven Savoie. She brings the entrepreneurial energy and the vision for the coffeehouse; he brings the architectural, historic renovation and construction expertise to make it happen.
Julie and Steven on their wedding day · January 2026
Julie & Steven
Our first venture, together.
Julie and Steven Savoie married in January 2026, bringing together a family of four sons: two age 18 and two age 16. Now they’re bringing their working lives together, too.
Julie brings her entrepreneurial spirit and a love of books, people and the stories of Indianapolis. Steven brings more than 25 years in architecture and design-build, with extensive experience restoring historic buildings and guiding projects from the first drawing through construction.
Tarkington House is their first business venture together: a family-run coffee shop, creamery and bookshop in an old house that gives both of them plenty to work with. Julie is shaping the business and the experience of spending time here, while Steven leads the design and transformation through Savoie Studios.
They see this as the beginning of a longer partnership, pursuing historic renovations and taking an active part in the Indianapolis neighborhoods they care about. The coffeehouse is where they’re starting.
Collection concept. Final pieces are in development.
Tarkington House Gems · In development
For the next hundred chapters.
Vintage-washed tees that fall softly, easy sweatshirts and hoodies, leather bookmarks to keep your place and a rustic stoneware mug for the next cup. A small collection inspired by the pleasure of reading and the Indianapolis we discover through its writers.
One More Chapter.Booked for the Afternoon. Familiar words for people who feel at home with a book.
Coming spring 2027 to the Butler-Tarkington neighborhood. Follow the transformation as the house takes shape. Our exact opening date and hours will be announced closer to opening.
