The story of a downtown Navarre building—and the people giving it new life.
At 2 Main Street North, the building’s story continues through the people who walk through its doors. Today, it is home to Merchants On Main: a marketplace for independent businesses, creative ideas, and community connection.
Its character is part of the experience. Look up at the patterned ceiling, browse the displays, and take a moment to appreciate the setting around you.
Long before Merchants On Main, the Ohio & Erie Canal helped shape life and commerce in Navarre.
Founded in 1834 by James Duncan, Navarre grew alongside a waterway that connected communities and supported local trade. The canal remained in operation through the village until the flood of 1913. That history provides the setting for the earliest chapter of this lot.
Before the building that stands here today, this lot was home to Hotel Navarre. Its story belongs to an earlier chapter of downtown Navarre, when the canal helped bring travel and trade into the village.
The hotel shown in this historic photograph is a previous building on the site. Today’s Merchants On Main continues the story of the address in a different building, with a new purpose.
Before its years as the Olde Navarre Flea Market, the building served as a Chevrolet dealership. This chapter connects the address to another part of Navarre’s business history, before it became a place to browse antiques and unexpected finds.
Many local visitors remember this address as the Olde Navarre Flea Market. That earlier chapter remains part of the building’s story and the memories people bring back when they visit.
Merchants On Main opened its doors with a vision of bringing small businesses together under one roof. Makers, merchants, and neighbors became part of the building’s next chapter.
Handmade goods, boutique clothing, antiques, vintage finds, gifts, and local creations fill the store. Workshops and events bring people together, while young entrepreneurs learn that their ideas matter. The Main Impact Foundation extends that spirit of care to children and families with medical needs.
A glimpse of the people, details, and discoveries that make this chapter our own.
Have an old photograph, a story about a former business, or a memory of this building? We would love to hear from you and help preserve the history of this corner of Navarre.