Fashion/Shopping

Ellington’s Mercantile Open Saturdays, Selling Art (Photo Gallery)

First Posted: 6/17/13 10:21 AM EDT Updated: 6/17/13 10:22 AM EDT
Originally published April/May 2013

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 opened on her farm at 680 W. That Rd. Since then, the artists—a group Ellington calls “Girlfriends on the Farm”—convene most Saturdays and invite others to join them. “The first gathering was a huge success. There were eight of us, but there have been as many as ten since,” says Ellington, adding that the core group includes artists Sue Blackwell, Susan Forney, Marci Hoff, Mary Ann Hope (Ellington’s aunt), Lisa Orme, Sara Pliske, and Pam Voorhies. “If someone is interested in joining us, they should contact me [...]

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Filed Under: Fashion/Shopping, Web Exclusives Tagged With: Ellington's Mercantile, Girlfriends on the Farm, Hope Ellington, J.R. Ellington Tree Experts, Lee Ann Sandweiss, Lisa Orme, Marci Hoff, Mary Ann Hope, Pam Voorhies, Phoenix Demolition, Sara Pliske, Shannon Zahnle, Sue Blackwell, Susan Forney

New Floral Shop Offers Men The ‘I’m a Jerk’ Bouquet

First Posted: 6/11/13 01:41 PM EDT Updated: 6/11/13 01:41 PM EDT
Originally published April/May 2013

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, Bloomin’ Tons owner, “In late December 2012, my friend Shella Turpin, who works part time at a florist, called and told me that the old Ellis Floral building was available and that I should come and look at it.” Corcoran, who lives in Martinsville and formerly owned Reed’s Flower Shop in Indianapolis, decided to check it out and ended up leasing the space at 416 S. Washington St. She then worked at a breakneck pace for a month—cleaning, painting, organizing—and Bloomin’ Tons opened in January. “To make it easy [...]

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Filed Under: Fashion/Shopping Tagged With: Bloomin' Tons Floral Company, Deborah Corcoran, Ellis Floral, Judi Ellis, Lee Ann Sandweiss, Lori Richardson, Lynae Sowinski, Mark Kruzan, PRIDE LGBTQ Film Festival, Shella Turpin

Areté Athletic: A Shop for Active Women on B-town’s East Side

First Posted: 6/6/13 03:11 PM EDT Updated: 6/6/13 03:11 PM EDT
Originally published April/May 2013

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 women, strives to meet this demand for fitness fashion that is practical and attractive. An offshoot of the Indiana Running Company store on the downtown Square, Areté Athletic is located in the Renwick Village Center, 1567 S. Piazza Dr. In February, the store had a dual grand opening with its neighbor, Bloomington Body Bar fitness studio. “We had about two hundred people here for the grand opening,” says Tom Chorny, Areté Athletic manager. “That Bloomington Body Bar was already here helped us to decide on this location. Our [...]

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Filed Under: Fashion/Shopping Tagged With: Aerete Athletic, Bloomington Body Bar, Indiana Running Company, Lee Ann Sandweiss, Renwick Village, Tom Chorny

American Colors Brand Opens First Retail Store in B-town (Photo Gallery)

First Posted: 6/5/13 04:50 PM EDT Updated: 6/5/13 04:50 PM EDT
Originally published April/May 2013

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 City pace was fine when we were in our twenties and childless, but now as parents of two small children with a third on the way, we wanted a slower, saner pace of life where we could be part of the community. Bloomington was the perfect choice,” says Shannon, who grew up in Indianapolis and met Alex while both were students at Indiana University in the late 1990s. American Colors is a fashion label manufactured in Pennsylvania and carried in more than 250 clothing stores nationally [...]

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Filed Under: Fashion/Shopping, Web Exclusives Tagged With: Alex Lehr, American Colors, Henry Radford Hope School of Fine Arts, Indiana University, Lee Ann Sandweiss, Lynae Sowinski, Rowland Ricketts, Shannon Lehr

The Dance Circus: Professional Dancewear Shop Reopens

First Posted: 5/17/13 10:39 AM EDT Updated: 5/17/13 10:39 AM EDT
Originally published April/May 2013

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 production of The Nutcracker. But the timing wasn’t as great as she thought; one month later, a fire broke out in a tailor shop two doors down. “Nothing of mine was destroyed, but everything was covered in soot, and unsafe to sell,” Chambers laments. The shop closed for a month while she reordered inventory and consulted dance schools and troupes on what products they would be needing. She also dry cleaned her vintage clothing collection, including a 1920s dance jacket, a 1960s flapper-style wedding dress, and a 1970s leotard/tutu ensemble. [...]

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