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Broad Ripple Random Ripplings
The news from Broad Ripple
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Converted from paper version of the Broad Ripple Gazette (v04n06)
A new place for "Bling" in the Village - By Ashley Plummer
posted: Mar. 23, 2007
When the city of Indianapolis was snowed in during the week of Valentine's Day, Allyson Levin was out shoveling the snow in front 815 Broad Ripple Avenue.
Her motivation? The location happened to be the front of her new designer and custom jewelry store, Bling of Broad Ripple.
"My husband saw what I was doing and asked if I was crazy," Levin said. "I told him 'but I have to have this cleared for customers!'" He replied, "Honey, the entire city is shut down."
However, she was still determined to have a path to her store. "I was a woman with a mission," she said.
To the citizens and visitors of the Village who pass by the store, the outside of Bling may be appear to be exactly what it is-a unique and thrifty jewelry store nestled in the numerous store fronts of Broad Ripple Avenue.
However, upon entrance, it is easy to recognize that the store is much more than a venue for distinctive and stylish jewelry.
Bling owner Allyson Levin poses in her new store with an original animation cel and some bling.
A customer is immediately greeted by the sound of pleasant music (anything from Latin, swing or 1920's jazz legend Louie Armstrong) that Levin says she chooses on a daily basis based on how she feels the mood for the day should be cast. The décor includes earth-toned walls and an eclectic array of trinkets and displays scattered about the store and its jewelry displays.
If the interior alone is not enough to keep someone interested, a glimpse at the owner herself can make a customer interested enough-a woman with a smile so glamorous that one can only guess she has finally found a way to "combine her passions."
Passion number one-jewelry.
"I have always loved jewelry," Levin said. "I used to play in my grandmother's jewelry box when I was little. My family would go to a play, and I would be more interested in playing with the bracelet on my grandmother's wrist than watching the play.
"Jewelry is just fun. If you don't take fashion too seriously, like me, it gives you the chance to dress up a bit and compliment yourself."
Passion number two-animals.
While it may seem impossible to combine these two, Levin cleverly found a way.
"Beyond the bling, there will always be a cat that is up for adoption residing in the shop," Levin said. She said that she works closely with Animal Control and has been fostering cats for quite awhile. By having one of her foster buddies in the store, the odds are good that a customer will fall in love with one of the furry felines and take it home.
The offerings of jewelry available at Bling also combine the two passions. Beyond unique necklaces, earrings, bracelets, rings and grills (which Levin said have been one of the hottest selling items) for humans, Bling also offers "pet bling," e.g., studded collars and name tags for domestic pets-including hard to find collars for larger dogs.
Other specialty items offered by this unique jewelry store include custom tattoo needles and ink sold at wholesale prices (only to those over 18 and with tattoo certifications, Levin mentioned). Bling will also pay top dollar for old jewelry and scrap gold.
Levin also talked about "Build-a-Bling" parties: events that people can schedule for special occasions or for no particular reason in which party-goers get the chance to design and build their own bling.
"We have our first one scheduled sometime later this month," she said. "This is something that we are really excited about."
When questioned about why she chose Broad Ripple for her location, Levin said that she could not have imagined starting her business anywhere else.
"Broad Ripple has a flavor that no where else in the state has, and I feel it is an area that, like this store, has something for everybody," she said.
Levin also talked about the importance of community in Broad Ripple, as well as the importance of her family being in the business with her.
Her husband, Bill Levin, is her partner-in-crime with the business, and her four daughters will be working at the shop on various occasions.
"This shop has been a wonderful way for me to combine family and business," she said. "I am so ecstatic about this because it really is the realization of a dream for me."
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