Gift shop, coffeehouse share downtown Valpo locale
Valparaiso — Opening a coffee shop had been a longtime dream for Karen Scheidenberger.In December, the Valparaiso woman opened Isabella Bean coffeehouse cafe inside Sweet Serenity gift shop downtown.
Scheidenberger worked for Sweet Serenity at its previous location in Chesterton. There, she and store owner Barb Pullins first talked about combining the cafe and gift shop.
“It wasn’t good timing there; it is now,” Scheidenberger said.
Scheidenberger, a hair stylist by trade, had previous coffee-shop experience.
“I enjoyed the people, I enjoyed the work, I enjoyed the atmosphere,” she said.
Pullins and her daughter, Kari Brockway, who designs the hand-painted furniture sold at Sweet Serenity, agreed that Isabella Bean was the right fit for their store.
“We thought, how unique to have a gift shop-coffee shop in the area,” Brockway said. “It’s a good partnership. People can come in, have lunch and shop.”
Because Sweet Serenity had been in business in Valparaiso for a year, adding a cafe required Pullins to make some physical changes to the building. She removed a wall and placed much of her merchandise in the front, while displaying some pieces in the cafe.
