Category: Tales from a Shopkeep
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Tales from a Shopkeep – political edition
It’s hard being Switzerland. And yet, here we are . . . small businesses in middle America trying to play it safe. I’ve always kept my head down. I’ve always tried to remain neutral. You have to when you run a business. You might not know that, if you don’t run a business yourself. But,…
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Tales from a Shopkeep –
There are few things better in this world than the support of friends . . . but one of the few things, is when you get the chance to see one of your friends succeed and grow and reach their dreams. I’m lucky enough that some of my best friends are fellow small business owners…
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Tales from a Shopkeep -There Goes the Neighborhood
A couple of years ago, when I first moved into Fountain Square Mall, I started to make friends with the other business owners that I would learn to call my neighbors, and eventually some of my best friends. Across the hall, I continued to get to know Nancy Bradley, the (former) owner of O’Child Children’s…
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Tales from a Shopkeep
Boy, that holiday season sure knows how to sneak up on you, eh? It all begins with the Bloomington Handmade Market – every year. And this year was no different. This year BHM had a stellar cast of characters! Reviews from shoppers tell us, our best yet. Which is just delightful to hear. It was…
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Tales from a Shopkeep – All Hallows Eve
This past weekend we helped to organize and host our Second Annual Downtown Trick or Treat. Words can’t really express the gratitude and awe I have for our Bloomington retail community coming together to invite families downtown to trick or treat – and for our Bloomington families coming out to do just that. So, pictures…
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Tales from a Shopkeep
Tuesday I decided it was just too beautiful to stay inside. I just couldn’t. It was to be a studio day, a day in which I got shit done, but on my drive into downtown, the windows down, the 75 degree air blowing through my (albeit short) hair, I couldn’t bare to go in. I…
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Tales from a Shopkeep
Good god summer is hard. There, I’ll say it. I said it. I’ll continue to say it. I’ll be the first to admit that this summer was hard on this mama. But, I’ll also say I wouldn’t have it any other way. Because that’s just our life folks, and that’s what we’re here to do:…
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Tales from a Shopkeep
Today is the first day of summer . . . officially, but we’ve been living the summer life for nearly a month over here! While I’m generally a scheduler – a planner – super duper, extraordinarily Type A, this summer we’ve just been playing it by ear. The past few weeks we’ve taken a guided…
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Tales from a Shopkeep
Much of this past week was spent in meetings either discussing events that have passed (Current: The Bloomington Fashion Collective Creative Event) or discussing events that are to happen soon: Gallery Walk, Taste of Bloomington, Sidewalk Sale, and the Fourth of July Parade. We met the new Assistant Director of Economic Development for the Arts:…
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Tales from a Shopkeep
Oh what a week!! Students are gone and we can start to breathe townie-life back into our beings . . . or can we? The older I get, the longer I live in this town, the less the students become a part of it. . . Interesting that. So, this week we spent getting ready…
Gather 