ETC for the Home: Mammoth New Store on S. Walnut
BY LEE ANN SANDWEISS The dictionary defines “etc.”—the abbreviation for et cetera—as the Latin expression for “and other things.” ETC for the Home is the name chosen for a new shopping emporium at 3333...
View ArticleVera Bradley Fashions Now Available at Two B-town Shops
BY LEE ANN SANDWEISS There’s nothing in fashion that says Hoosier more than a Vera Bradley tote. Bloomington now has two locally owned retailers that offer the popular Indiana-made line of colorful...
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Silas Andrews: A Shop Reminiscent of Paris (Photo Gallery)
R. Silas Heath and Sally Livingston. Photo by Shannon Zahnle BY LEE ANN SANDWEISS Stepping into the Silas Andrews store, located at 405 S. Walnut next to The Chocolate Moose, is like entering a tiny...
View ArticleBloomington Craft Supplies: A Local Shop Carrying What the Box Stores Carry
BY ROSIE PIGA PIZZO Adrienne Tootle and Jake Alexander were keeping with both a Bloomington trend to shop local and family traditions when they opened a local craft supply store. It’s a homey answer to...
View ArticleThe Dance Circus: Professional Dancewear Shop Reopens
BY LIBBY PETERSON Paula Chambers opened The Dance Circus, Bloomington’s only professional dancewear store, in Fountain Square Mall in November 2012—just in time for the IU Opera and Ballet Theater...
View ArticleAmerican Colors Brand Opens First Retail Store in B-town (Photo Gallery)
BY LEE ANN SANDWEISS After living on the East Coast for 15 years and building their wholesale clothing business, American Colors, Alex and Shannon Lehr were ready for a change. “The hectic New York...
View ArticleAreté Athletic: A Shop for Active Women on B-town’s East Side
BY LEE ANN SANDWEISS When women exercise, they want their workout clothes to be utilitarian and comfortable, and they want them to look good, too. Areté Athletic, Bloomington’s new store for active...
View ArticleNew Floral Shop Offers Men The ‘I’m a Jerk’ Bouquet
BY LEE ANN SANDWEISS Bloomington’s newest flower shop has a name that’s easy to remember—Bloomin’ Tons Floral Company—and an address that has a long history in the business. Explains Deborah Corcoran,...
View ArticleEllington’s Mercantile Open Saturdays, Selling Art (Photo Gallery)
BY LEE ANN SANDWEISS Hope Ellington had a dream of getting together with a group of her artist friends and selling their art together. Her dream was realized last December when Ellington’s Mercantile...
View ArticleB-town Booksellers Survive Chains, Internet, and Recession
BY JESSE LOUDENBARGER National chains and online booksellers are often deemed responsible for driving independent bookshops out of business, but this hasn’t been the case in Bloomington. Not even the...
View ArticleNiche Boutique: It’s New, Trendy, and Not Boring
BY LEE ANN SANDWEISS On-trend fashion found a new niche in Bloomington this year with the opening of Niche Boutique at 601 N. College. “If it’s boring, we don’t want it in here,” says owner Erica...
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Southern Indiana Scuba Selling and Teaching All Things Scuba
Alex Bartnicka in the Bahamas on a diving trip organized by Southern Indiana Scuba. Courtesy photo ADAM KENT-ISAAC Mark Brooks, owner and manager of Southern Indiana Scuba, supplies gear to divers from...
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Soapy Soap Company: Making Very ‘Friendly’ Soap
(l-r) Anthony Duncan, Mohammed M. Mahdi, and Mohammed A. Mahdi. Photo by James Kellar BY ROSIE PIGA PIZZO It was all just good clean fun. Literally. What started as two guys in their kitchen making a...
View ArticleThe Yoho General Store Serving Solsberry Again
BY ADAM KENT-ISAAC The restoration of Solsberry’s Yoho General Store was “a homecoming for us all,” says Jim Murphy, president of CFC Properties. “I grew up in this area, and I remember the days of...
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New Guitar Store Is for Aficionados
Owner Evan Whikehart restrings a guitar in his shop. Photo by Lynae Sowinski BY JEREMY SHERE To stay competitive in the modern retail world, most brick-and-mortar music stores try to appeal to as broad...
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Argentum Jewelry Marks Its 40th Year in Business
Sally Walker, owner of Argentum. Photos by Eric Rudd BY LEE ANN SANDWEISS If Argentum Jewelry were to make a ring to celebrate its 40th anniversary, it would be a ruby—the stone traditionally...
View ArticleLola Rue: The Home of Shabby Chic and Fancy Paint
BY LEE ANN SANDWEISS Since opening in 2008, Lola Rue & Company at 531 N. College has established itself as a go-to boutique for shabby chic furnishing, gifts, jewelry, and women’s clothing....
View ArticleGreetings on Kirkwood: A Family Affair
BY LEE ANN SANDWEISS With T-shirts ranging from handsome to humorous displayed in the prominent front window, it’s difficult not to pause in front of Greetings at the corner of East Kirkwood and North...
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Shopping Local with Kaye: Baby It’s Cold Outside
1. Vintage Cashmere Coat, $40 Let’s face it. Some days are just bone-chilling cold. If last season’s winter coat isn’t measuring up in terms of warmth or style, check out the collection at Alison...
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Shopping Local with Kaye: 8 for Under $20
Need some last minute gifts to round out your gift giving? Here are some local ideas that will surely have your gift recipient ooh-ing and ahh-ing. On/Near the Square: There’s something so...
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