The newest shop in Broad Ripple has opened right next door to one of the Village's longest-running shops. In May, gingko opened at 908 Westfield Boulevard - next to Chelsea's. The five partners are Linda Shikany, Kelli Norwalk, Kelli's daughter Alyssa Barr Sweeney, Allison Turro, and Linda Ford. Kelli, Alyssa, and Linda Ford came from Tarkington Trend, which is located at 56th and Illinois. Allison runs an interior design firm.

"The original idea when Kelli [Norwalk] and I started on this," explained Linda Shikany, "was to open a shop with mostly artisan-made items. At that same time Ali, Alyssa and Linda, wanted to open a furniture store named Dwell. We decided to put it all under one name. That is where gingko, where design dwells came from. gingko is an incredible collection of five people bringing wonderful talents together, with a nice span of experiences."

I asked Linda if at first she had considered adding the artisan gift items to Marigold, the store she has owned for 17 years. "We have a few gift items at Marigold," said Linda, "but we don't have the room there and we wanted Marigold to do what it does well. We had to open a new space. I was able to do that because of the amazing staff at Marigold. When I'm not there, they know exactly the level of service that our Marigold customers expect. That's a good feeling. Without them I would never have been able to do this."

gingko features the works of many Indiana artists. Most of the items are in the store on consignment. The partners interview prospective artists and select the ones that fit the idea of the store. To keep the collection fresh, new artists are rotated into the shop every couple of months. I asked why gingko looks primarily for local artists. "We are such a hurried society today that it is fun to feel a connection," replied Linda Shikany. "I think that's what Broad Ripple is all about. You have a sense of belonging and a sense of community here."

Two of the first round of artists are Jennifer Shirley and David Berg. Jennifer is a woodturner who specializes in Indiana hardwoods. Her turnings were recently part of the Contemporary Indiana Woodworkers Exhibit at the Indianapolis Art Center. Visit Jennifer's web site at www.jennifer-shirley.com to see examples of her work. David is a potter from Bloomington. gingko discovered his bowls and planters at an art show at the Indiana State Museum. His website is www.bergstoneware.com

I was recently invited to the grand opening at gingko. I found the shop filled with unique items for inside and outside the house, from furniture, dinnerware, vases, and rugs to garden sculptures, bird baths, and lanterns. They also have a selection of baby items, wearable art, and jewelry. The list is too long to include here and it changes from month to month. You need to visit gingko for yourself. The Gazette welcomes gingko to the Village!