Bloom Archives
Category: Fashion & Shopping
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For Kitchen and Bath Räke Is a One-Stop Shop
BY PAMELA KEECH Bob and Margaret Raake (pronounced ârockieâ) are on their second family business. The first was Ellettsville Landscaping, which they owned for…
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Happy Yak: Carrying Clothes and Gifts You Wonât Find Elsewhere (Photo Gallery)
BY LEE ANN SANDWEISS Happy Yakâthe catchy name of this tiny shop brings a smile. But just as arresting is the merchandise found within.…
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A Student Trip to Ecuador To See âFair Tradeâ in Action
BY JANET MANDELSTAM Mary Embry has been a fair trade advocate âfor more than a dozen years,â she says. She includes fair trade principles…
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Royale Hair Parlor: A New Business on the Square
BY BRIDGETT HENWOOD A new hair salon has opened that offers cuts, art, and a learning experience. âWhen I moved to Bloomington I had…
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How Many Towns Have a Harp Store?
BY PAMELA KEECH Bloomington continues to surprise. In an unremarkable building behind Mother Bearâs Pizza, a very famous harp player and her ex-husband operate…
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For Sale: Life-Size Hippos, Gorillas, â¨Giraffes, Etc.
BY ERICA SAGON Ned Fleetwood has made hippopotamuses for day care centers, pigs for barbecue restaurants, and roosters for a fast-food chicken chain. Heâs…
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Williams Jewelry: A Century Old and Counting
BY ELISABETH ANDREWS When Ed Williams moved to Bloomington in 1911, he almost certainly expected to stay a while. His family had lived in…
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B-town Handmade Market Brings Affordable Art to Convention Center (Photo Gallery)
BY BRIAN HARTZ If you believe the hipsters on the satirical TV show Portlandia, the secret to making ultra-cool handcrafted art is simply to…
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Long Leather Works: A B-town Best-Kept Secret
BY ADAM KENT-ISAAC Despite the preponderance of synthetic materials, leather never seems to go out of style. Maybe itâs the rich and earthy smell…