May 2, 2011

Almost Home Features Works By Local ArtistsBy Becky EmmonsSouthBendTribune.com

BUCHANAN — After years of being in the retail gifts, art and framing business in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., Bea Warren returned to her native Niles, not really intending to open another business.

But despite the downturn of the economy, she couldn’t get the notion of another store out of her mind or her heart, and when she attended a festival in Buchanan, her mind was made up.

“I had heard downtown Buchanan was getting artsy, but I couldn’t believe all the people there, all the excitement,” she says. “It was so cool.”

She had already met a number of talented artists and artisans who had no venue, so she and her husband, Kevin, decided to give them one. They opened Almost Home, 103 E. Front St., a year ago and their corner shop has become a fixture on the popular main thoroughfare.

She admits she was a little nervous when she gutted the space and stared at an empty store, but it filled more quickly than she imagined. Now it’s jam-packed with artwork of all media and items for the home and the body.

“My goal is to be a venue for local artists. I also have some from elsewhere in Michigan, and a few other gift lines — but all are American-made,” Warren says. “It is an eclectic mix, which is exactly what I wanted it to be. I used to go to the big Atlanta Gift Mart; now, I just put out what people bring me. You can see why I have fun with it.”

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