Post by The Ultimate Nullifier on Sept 27, 2014 18:56:12 GMT -6
The owners of Chemshaw 13 Donutz & Comics, in Crown Point, Indiana, have an interesting take on running a comic shop: Knowing that a lot of people have never set foot in one before, they combine it with a coffee shop. Come for the muffins, stay for the comics? It’s also located in a historic building in downtown Crown Point.
www.nwitimes.com/business/local/whimsical-chemshaw-donutz-comics-fresh-face-on-square/article_e45cad31-df94-5269-8eff-1ab773a680d4.html
CROWN POINT | The first time Lynette Pisano-Sullivan saw the historic Lake County Courthouse, it was love at first sight.
“Driving into town, seeing the big gorgeous building with its clock tower, the very first thing I thought of was the movie ‘Back to the Future,’ ” Pisano-Sullivan said. “I said, ‘We have to live in this town.’ ” The classic 1985 movie starring Michael J. Fox is part of a comedy science-fiction trilogy in which the town's clock tower figures prominently.
Pisano-Sullivan moved to Northwest Indiana five years ago from California where she was a horticulturist growing lavender and herbs on a farm with a small vineyard. She and her husband, Jason Sullivan, recently purchased a home in Crown Point and opened a new business in the shadow of the courthouse she loves. Chemshaw 13 Donutz & Comics, 138 S. Main St., is in the historic Peoples State Bank building.
The whimsically named shop features fresh-brewed Metropolis coffee, hot and iced tea, a variety of other beverages and freshly baked doughnuts, muffins, scones, pastries, cupcakes and cookies.
The shop also carries hard-to-find toys, movie and superhero T-shirts and coffee mugs, and offers table-top gaming for all levels of new and experienced players. Popular games include "Dungeons and Dragons," "Pathfinder," "D20 Modern," "Magic the Gathering" and "Cards Against Humanity." A wide variety of comic books includes the Justice League superheroes and many characters’ first appearance or most popular editions, Pisano-Sullivan said.
“Both of us are fans of the TV show, ‘Comic Book Men,’ and Kevin Smith,” Sullivan said. “We watched Kevin tell the story a few years back about going to a doughnut shop in California where he lives and buying three dozen peanut-butter-and-jelly doughnuts. It was funny, but the idea brewed.”
“Some people have never ... ventured into a comic shop,” Sullivan said. “The doughnuts and coffee bring in everyone, and now they are exposed to a comic shop and they can see what they are missing. Parents will have an easier time encouraging their children to read when it’s the latest and greatest superhero they only have seen on TV or at the movies.”
Chemshaw 13 is named after Samuel Chemshaw, the 13th proprietor of the Magic Shop figurine of the game, "Wondrous Power."
“The magic shop (in 'Wondrous Power') looks like a small Greek Parthenon with a roman numeral 13 on the top,” Sullivan said. “We didn't truly decide on a name until we saw and leased our space in a 1920s bank that just happens to look a lot like Chemshaw 13 from my game.”
Peoples Bank Building owner Richard Oesterle said the building, which he renovated 15 years ago, is well constructed and was modern for its time. Oesterle said all but one downstairs office, which is currently available for rent, are occupied by a variety of professionals and entrepreneurs in the building, which is rated as an outstanding landmark in Indiana.
Crown Point architect James Smith helped transform the former art center into the new shop and helped approach the city’s historic board about graphics on the building’s exterior.
Pisano-Sullivan said half her staff is composed of Crown Point High School juniors and seniors; one attends Merrillville High School. The business logo features the couple cartooned as Wonder Woman and Superman. The business motto is, “Grow, Learn, Interact, Support and Thrive.”
Future plans include delivery service, catering and a fundraiser for a local charity where customers can have their photos taken with Justice League superheroes and Santa Claus for free when they donate an unwrapped toy. The costumed superheroes will personally deliver the toys, Pisano-Sullivan said.
For your information
NAME: Chemshaw 13 Donutz & Comics
ADDRESS: 138 S. Main St., Crown Point
PHONE: (219) 323-3115
OWNERS: Lynette M Pisano-Sullivan and Jason Sullivan
HOURS: 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Wednesdays
7 a .m. to 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays
9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays
EMPLOYEES: 15
WEBSITE: www.Chemshaw13.com
Visit us on Facebook
www.nwitimes.com/business/local/whimsical-chemshaw-donutz-comics-fresh-face-on-square/article_e45cad31-df94-5269-8eff-1ab773a680d4.html
CROWN POINT | The first time Lynette Pisano-Sullivan saw the historic Lake County Courthouse, it was love at first sight.
“Driving into town, seeing the big gorgeous building with its clock tower, the very first thing I thought of was the movie ‘Back to the Future,’ ” Pisano-Sullivan said. “I said, ‘We have to live in this town.’ ” The classic 1985 movie starring Michael J. Fox is part of a comedy science-fiction trilogy in which the town's clock tower figures prominently.
Pisano-Sullivan moved to Northwest Indiana five years ago from California where she was a horticulturist growing lavender and herbs on a farm with a small vineyard. She and her husband, Jason Sullivan, recently purchased a home in Crown Point and opened a new business in the shadow of the courthouse she loves. Chemshaw 13 Donutz & Comics, 138 S. Main St., is in the historic Peoples State Bank building.
The whimsically named shop features fresh-brewed Metropolis coffee, hot and iced tea, a variety of other beverages and freshly baked doughnuts, muffins, scones, pastries, cupcakes and cookies.
The shop also carries hard-to-find toys, movie and superhero T-shirts and coffee mugs, and offers table-top gaming for all levels of new and experienced players. Popular games include "Dungeons and Dragons," "Pathfinder," "D20 Modern," "Magic the Gathering" and "Cards Against Humanity." A wide variety of comic books includes the Justice League superheroes and many characters’ first appearance or most popular editions, Pisano-Sullivan said.
“Both of us are fans of the TV show, ‘Comic Book Men,’ and Kevin Smith,” Sullivan said. “We watched Kevin tell the story a few years back about going to a doughnut shop in California where he lives and buying three dozen peanut-butter-and-jelly doughnuts. It was funny, but the idea brewed.”
“Some people have never ... ventured into a comic shop,” Sullivan said. “The doughnuts and coffee bring in everyone, and now they are exposed to a comic shop and they can see what they are missing. Parents will have an easier time encouraging their children to read when it’s the latest and greatest superhero they only have seen on TV or at the movies.”
Chemshaw 13 is named after Samuel Chemshaw, the 13th proprietor of the Magic Shop figurine of the game, "Wondrous Power."
“The magic shop (in 'Wondrous Power') looks like a small Greek Parthenon with a roman numeral 13 on the top,” Sullivan said. “We didn't truly decide on a name until we saw and leased our space in a 1920s bank that just happens to look a lot like Chemshaw 13 from my game.”
Peoples Bank Building owner Richard Oesterle said the building, which he renovated 15 years ago, is well constructed and was modern for its time. Oesterle said all but one downstairs office, which is currently available for rent, are occupied by a variety of professionals and entrepreneurs in the building, which is rated as an outstanding landmark in Indiana.
Crown Point architect James Smith helped transform the former art center into the new shop and helped approach the city’s historic board about graphics on the building’s exterior.
Pisano-Sullivan said half her staff is composed of Crown Point High School juniors and seniors; one attends Merrillville High School. The business logo features the couple cartooned as Wonder Woman and Superman. The business motto is, “Grow, Learn, Interact, Support and Thrive.”
Future plans include delivery service, catering and a fundraiser for a local charity where customers can have their photos taken with Justice League superheroes and Santa Claus for free when they donate an unwrapped toy. The costumed superheroes will personally deliver the toys, Pisano-Sullivan said.
For your information
NAME: Chemshaw 13 Donutz & Comics
ADDRESS: 138 S. Main St., Crown Point
PHONE: (219) 323-3115
OWNERS: Lynette M Pisano-Sullivan and Jason Sullivan
HOURS: 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Wednesdays
7 a .m. to 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays
9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays
EMPLOYEES: 15
WEBSITE: www.Chemshaw13.com
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