Between May and August 2026, every food vendor inside Myers Market closed. COhatch then listed the 28,022-square-foot building at 101 S. Fountain Ave. for $2.39 million, and since Sept. 1 only COhatch members and their guests can get in. If Myers Market was your easy downtown lunch, that option is gone for now.
Downtown food didn't disappear with it, though. It shifted north on the same street. A few independent cafés and bistros were already open in the first block of North Fountain Avenue. Up the road at 300 N. Fountain, the pairing that started at the Myers Market bar, Sushi Hikari's sushi and Joel Shear's cocktails, is coming back together as its own business.
What Happened Inside the 1916 Market
The building has been through several lives. The Daily Myers Market was a downtown centerpiece from 1916 until it closed in 1977. COhatch took over the long-empty site in 2018, reopened it in 2020 as COhatch The Market with food, a bar and taproom, and relaunched it as Myers Market with new food concepts at the end of 2025.
The relaunch didn't last long. In May, COhatch closed four food concepts and said it was rethinking the space "to meet the increasing demand for meeting and event space." Tania Lehotay, the COhatch partner who heads its lifestyle group and development, said the room covers nearly 12,000 square feet and holds up to 150 guests. CEO and co-founder Matt Davis said "lifestyle habits have shifted over the past year."
The other vendors followed over the summer. Here is what happened to each one, based on Springfield News-Sun reporting:
| Vendor | Last stretch at Myers Market | What's next, as reported |
|---|---|---|
| Champion City Grill | Closed in May | No new location reported |
| Fountain Brews | Closed in May | No new location reported |
| Dough-Re-Mi Pizza | Closed in May | No new location reported |
| Chido's Cantina | Closed in May | No new location reported |
| Chido's Tacos | Counter closed at the end of May | Food truck worked the Springfield Farmers Market through September |
| Momo Mart | Closed at the end of June | Owner is looking for a new location and calls the closure a pause |
| OH! Boba | Closed July 31 | No other Springfield location planned; the Troy shop stays open |
| Sushi Hikari | Closed Aug. 25 | Moving to 300 N. Fountain Ave. with LifeBar Arcade |
Coverage of the May closures confirms those concepts left Myers Market. It doesn't say any of them closed for good, so a few may still turn up somewhere else. If you follow them on social media, that's the best place to watch.
COhatch has said selling the building won't change daily operations. Memberships, leases and coworking continue as before. Lehotay said the company wants a buyer "that honors its heritage and its importance in celebrating and supporting the local community." What happens to the building next depends on who buys it.
The Market Bar Pairing Reopens at 300 N. Fountain
The main thing to know about the new venue is where its owners met. Joel Shear worked behind the Market Bar inside COhatch. Zac Johnston was a regular there. May Moe and Kyaw Say opened their Sushi Hikari stand in 2021, shortly after the Market Bar launched. Shear told the News-Sun that his cocktails and their sushi "paired so well together." He also said he wanted to "bring back the wonderful vibe that we cultivated at COhatch."
Shear, Johnston and Blake Stilwell own LifeBar Arcade. Stilwell helped put up the startup money and buy the building at 300 N. Fountain Ave., which used to be a pawn shop. The owners describe a renovation with new electric, HVAC, plumbing, flooring and insulation, plus removal of the drop ceiling. Shear said the whole effort, from looking for a building through renovation, has taken more than three years.
Here's what the owners say the venue will offer:
- Sushi Hikari's food, with about 80% of the current menu staying the same
- Craft cocktails, plus local, domestic and imported beer
- Vintage arcade games, from "Centipede" to "Street Fighter"
- Two golf simulator suites you can rent
- Private event spaces and LifeBar merchandise
Before the doors open, Sushi Hikari planned to serve from its food truck at the new property and then move inside once the building officially opens. Moe said they wanted to stay downtown, where she knows customers like her food.
"We want to do new big business here, new generation and new life here." — Kyaw Say, co-owner of Sushi Hikari
The owners were aiming for late September or early October. As of today, Oct. 1, 2026, LifeBar Arcade's website still says "Opening Soon." After a soft opening, the News-Sun reported planned hours of noon to 2 a.m. most days and noon to 9 p.m. on Sundays. The site lists noon to 2 a.m. every day, so check it before a Sunday night visit. All ages are welcome during the first half of the day, and anyone under 18 needs an adult with them. After 9 p.m., it's 21 and over.
The First Block of North Fountain Already Has the Rest
The market's other job was easy lunch, coffee and a casual sit-down meal close to the office. Three open places within about a block of each other on North Fountain Avenue, plus one on East Main, cover that now. Most of the addresses are short walks apart, so this works as a route:
- Stella Bleu Bistro, 20 N. Fountain Ave. Lunch and dinner with dine-in, patio and takeout, plus weekly lunch specials, according to a February 2026 Hub Springfield profile.
- Scout's Café, 32 N. Fountain Ave. Scout's announced a Nov. 7 grand opening in the former Winans space last fall. It was pouring coffee by March 19, 2026, when the Greater Springfield Partnership held a coffee networking event there.
- Torte & Iron Café, 36B N. Fountain Ave. A bakery, brunch and lunch café that reopened in July 2025. Its 2025 profile lists hours of Tuesday through Friday 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Saturday 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Casa Centro Modern Mexican, 14 E. Main St., Suite 101. Modern Mexican that opened in February 2025. Its February 2026 profile lists regular hours and weekend brunch.
Sushi Hikari's new home at 300 N. Fountain sits farther up the same street. Before this summer, downtown's food was split between the market's south-side hall and these North Fountain storefronts. Once LifeBar opens, nearly everything will be on the north side.
Where the Food Trucks Went for Fall
The market's rotating counters had a second role: something new to try most weeks. The Springfield Farmers Market at 117 S. Fountain Ave. filled that on summer Saturdays, and Chido's Tacos had its truck there each week. The market's 20th season ran through September.
For October, the steady option is Mother Stewart's Brewing at 102 W. Columbia St. It has a beer garden, rotating food trucks and Wednesday through Sunday hours. These are the dates on its calendar:
- Thursdays through Nov. 19: Burgers & Brews with Under Pressure Smash Burgers
- Oct. 2: Raging Bull Wood Fired Pizza
- Oct. 3: Joe Joe's BBQ
- Oct. 9: Schmidt's Sausage Truck
- Oct. 10: Tortilla Street Food
Here's how an October week downtown could look now. Coffee at Scout's or a pastry at Torte & Iron. Lunch at Stella Bleu or Casa Centro. A Thursday smash burger at Mother Stewart's. Sushi at 300 N. Fountain once LifeBar opens its doors. Under the old setup, Myers Market had most of that under one roof. Now it's a walk along a few blocks.
The Building Is Still on the Market
The building at 101 S. Fountain Ave. is still listed for sale. COhatch has said the building has drawn interest and that it is "evaluating ways to maximize the building's value as a community asset." Until a buyer is named, downtown's walk-in food is on North Fountain Avenue and East Main Street. The next confirmed date on that list is the Raging Bull Wood Fired Pizza truck at Mother Stewart's on Oct. 2.
If you own a home near downtown and want to know what this run of openings and closings on Fountain Avenue means for your property's value, Michele Hines can give you a clear, data-backed read. Start with a free home valuation, and Michele will follow up quickly with the local detail behind the number.
