Author: Gather Shoppe
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Weekly Walkabout – 2026
The future of restaurants and shared kitchen spaces in an economy where rent is simply too high for one small business to handle on it’s own.
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Tales from a Shopkeep Mom
So, my last blog post was in March of 2025. Not too bad. At least I’m getting a second one in this year. Oh no, wait, a third even! I had grand intentions back in March, but shit happens man. And a lot of shit has happened. Let’s be honest – this will likely be…
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Weekly Walkabout – staycation edition
So this past week was IU’s Spring Break, and thus, also MCCSC. Much of Bloomington took the time to vacate the premises and go somewhere far enough south to get warm. The rest of us stuck around to enjoy the fine (for the most part) weather and see what the town has to offer us…
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Weekly Walkabout
So, I miss writing. Not to say I was every *really* good at it, but it definitely fulfilled something in me that tiny social media posts just don’t do. For awhile, I wrote “Takes from a Shopkeep” on this here blog, rather sporadically, and those were fun. It was always specifically about the shop or…
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Tales from a Shopkeep: Four years and counting . . .
The past four years have brought significant changes, including the growth of oak. and Gather in Bloomington. The downtown area is evolving, with events like the joint anniversary celebration and the upcoming Bloomington Handmade Market. Despite challenges, the writer’s personal life has also grown with the arrival of Forest, a delightful yet mischievous toddler. Improvements…
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Tales from a Shopkeep: the saga continues
Five months. It’s been five months since I wrote (first) about Covid 19 and how it’s affecting our lives/business/friends/etc etc. Five months! I still can’t focus. Can you? I still don’t know what i’m doing. Do you? I’m still very much struggling. Aren’t you? Let’s see if I can just get through what’s been going…
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Tales from a Shopkeep: Look for the Helpers (pt iii)
My last post was a bit . . . negative. And I knew that going in, but I still hold true to the fact that I needed to let it out. I’m not ashamed of that. But, now it’s time to look for the helpers. And so I am. Here are just a few…
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Tales from a Shopkeep: Covid 19 part ii
I need to get this out, so I can move on. I need to let this out of my soul, so I can stop dwelling on it and start breathing. I need to share this with you, because I don’t think I’m the only one. And then, then I need to focus on the positive.…
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Tales from a Shopkeep: Covid 19 part 1
2020 is something else, isn’t it? I mean, it’s only March and I myself feel like I’ve been through the ringer. In January I watched my dear aunt end her fight with cancer, surrounded by her 5 young children, her husband, a myriad of cousins, my parents, and my grandmother. No more than a week…
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Tales from a Shopkeep : BHM 2019
It’s that time of year again, and man, has it been a year! I mean . . . for us, at Gather and BHM, the year is just beginning, but we’ve been hearing it over and over again – WHAT A YEAR! *deep breaths* So here we are, year 11 under our belts. Boy does…
Gather 