At Home in Bloomington is all about community and our guest on Episode 7 knows a thing or two about that! The vision behind Talia Halliday’s brick and mortar store, Gather Shoppe, was to establish a community for people who create. With over 300 artists represented in the store and a variety of creative and thoughtful events like Crafternoons and Wellness Wednesdays, Gather partners with local businesses to provide a way for everyone to get involved. Talia has also been helping organize the Bloomington Handmade Market, a biannual event featuring thoughtfully chosen work from over 40 local and ..read more

Judge me if you will, but I love clothes. Not necessarily fashion but clothes. I like expressing myself by what I wear and I've never been able to hold down a job where I had to wear a uniform. I just can't dress like everyone else! And I suspect that there are lots of you out there just like me. That's why I enjoyed this episode so much. A local business (my jam) that is about clothes and style (my double jam) and that has a dog hanging out in the shop every day so you can pet and shop (my triple jam). They might even serve you a bourbon or scotch while shopping (dare I say, my quadruple jam ..read more

Back from a summer break, the At Home in Bloomington crew is HUNGRY! So we invited a guest who could help us with that and boy, did they ever! Businesses that are grown by demand always fascinate us- there's usually a great story behind them! Join us as we talk (and snack) with Megan Dillman, Marketing Director for Dillman Farm, a family owned and operated business in Bloomington since 1970. Founder Carl Dillman started making Apple Butter in his garage over 30 years ago. Neither fire nor tornadoes could stop their growth, which today, finds Dillman Farm making over 125 different varieties of ..read more

We all know we should plan for the future, whether that's next week, ten years from now or 40 years in the future. But many of us don't, Why? Well, we didn't solve that mystery in today's show but we do remove some of mystery in financial planning. Planning for your financial future can be intimidating, but it doesn't have to be! Just like most things in life, you have to use the right tools to get the job done. This episode clears the barriers and helps you understand how, where and why you should get started on a plan today. From graduating college to your first born, a financial adviser can ..read more

Deb once cried in the building that houses this episode's guest. Is she an overactive crier? Absolutely. Was it another deal of the century that made her cry? Maybe. Want to hear the story? Of course you do. Listen in! Sitting on the corner of North Washington and 6th Streets in downtown Bloomington is a building with a very long history. What started as a segregated school in 1854 later became one of the first Carnegie Libraries in the state and is now home to the Monroe County History Center. Visitors can explore 8,000 square feet of exhibit galleries, an expanded genealogy and local history ..read more

If you've lived in Bloomington long enough, chances are you've heard of Jill's House. But do you know about what is going on there? A new concept encouraging two groups to learn from each other and share their spirits. Can't go wrong with that, right? What started as a place for families to stay during cancer treatment at IU Health Proton Therapy Center, now serves both young and old through their Assisted Living & Memory Care and Intergenerational Preschool. Partnering these two services brings generations together to foster tolerance, acceptance, empathy and a love for learning. Did you ..read more

A lot of us dream of a simpler life, right? We love tiny houses, that crazy Marie Kondo chick and the Container Store. But where do we start? Cheryl Smith of Consider it Done Transition Services joins us for a motivating chat about why we hang on to things we don't need and what to do about it. She shares great tips about organizing, moving, and many of life's other transitions and is a big advocate of decluttering NOW rather than waiting for your next move. Have grandma's china? Put it into use and enjoy it! Have too many small knickknacks? Create a beautiful shadow box to display in your hom ..read more

It goes without saying that times are weird. Here at the At Home in Bloomington podcast, we are, like everyone else, trying to navigate our way and do the right things. We are not currently recording full podcasts as our preference is to record face to face (we are going to try out some Zoom recording, though!). We have a few episodes previously recorded that are already in the can that we are going to drop. And here is one. This is one we all need and even though you can't go in person right now, there are options for online practice. The Kadampa Meditation Center is for everyone, bringing yo ..read more

This is episode is epic. Is it because supertaster Deb (see episode 2) becomes a beer drinker or because of the dream our guest made a reality (probably the latter, but still, you should listen to find out)? Seven years of dreaming, persistence against all odds and nine long months of demolition are what brought our guest to realizing his dream of owning and operating his own brewery. For Kurtis Cummings, Founder and President of Switchyard Brewing, he claims his entrepreneurial spirit started back in elementary school when he would collect pebbles from the playground, polish them in his rock ..read more

Big ideas. The world needs them right now. On every topic and in every field, encouraging the spread of big ideas and the excitement those ideas instill in others is what will cause change for the better. You may have heard of TED Talks? Those short talks posted online on a huge variety of subjects, designed to make us think? Did you know that Bloomington has our own TED series called TEDxBloomington? Local events and local speakers come together to create our own Ted-like experience. On this episode of At Home in Bloomington, we talk with Jennifer Bourland, executive producer of TEDxBloomingt ..read more