Bloomington, IN: Gather :handmade shoppe & Co: Grand Opening

Saturday morning I kicked off doing All The Things in Bloomington by heading to the grand opening of Gather :handmade shoppe & Co: at Fountain Square Mall (Suite 112) on the Square in Bloomington.

I think you all know by now how much I love supporting local artists and local businesses. This store is pretty much the epitome of both of those things. Gather itself is a small business, selling goods from small artists from both Bloomington and around the country. Gather used to be a pop-up shop, and were so successful with that they decided to get a permanent space. (They are also offering workshops and small classes in the space.) It is pretty awesome.

The shop is well designed (you are able to actually see everything there is for sale), well lit, inviting, and comfortable. There are over 3,000 different things to buy, which sounds super intimidating but is truly awesome. I can't wait to stop in every so often to see what's new. There were a few familiar products that I see around Btown, like Sabun soap, but there were also a ton of new-to-me items. I was happiest about seeing all the various Bloomington and Indiana goods, because those are things I am really after and one reason why I think a shop like Gather is a good shop to have around.

I wound up seeing a perfect Indiana-shaped wooden necklace with a heart embroidery in the middle. I love all things Indiana and knew I had to have it. Here is a better picture courtesy of Talia (the owner!) when I somehow managed to be the very first "opening day" customer :) PS. Those postcards I'm holding are my reward for giving Gather a little backing on Kickstarter. I really wanted to see this shop succeed.

Talia was kind enough to let me take a photo of her, too! Check out the sweet cash register set up in the bottom left. It's running Square (which I'm a fan of) and is super easy from a customer standpoint. The receipt just gets emailed to you, so no extra paper and no chance of losing it.

Also at the grand opening when I was there (about 10am) was half of Bea's Soda Bar (E) serving up homemade sodas and other treats. Bea's Soda Bar normally serves out of a vintage camper that they turned into a mobile retro soda fountain. Yeah, I am going to find that (they're usually at the farmer's market) and do a full write up on them, too (you know my obsession with soda fountains). In the meantime I got a soda to carry me through the rest of the morning!

I tried the super-popular honey cream soda. It is super popular for a reason.

There were also other grand opening treats, like live music and free treats if you spent a certain amount. I had a packed rest of the day planned so I couldn't stay for that, but it was great to be there early and see the store!

Definitely check out Gather the next time you are downtown. The shop is open Wednesday through Friday from 12-5pm, Saturday from 10-5pm, and Sunday from 12-4pm. It's located at Suite 112 in Fountain Square Mall.