This week, Laura and Heather are joined by Scott and Jill Freeman of Bryn Mawr Jewelry, Co. Bryn Mawr Jewelry is a luxury diamond jewelry house known for its exceptional fine jewelry and timeless designs. Their exquisite pieces showcase rare diamonds and gemstones, brought to life through distinguished craftsmanship with uncompromising attention to detail. Having relocated to Andersonville in February of this year, you can have them help you create a custom jewelry piece of your dreams at 5139 N Clark.

This week, Laura and Joelle are joined by social media sherpa, motivational math tutor, speaker, connector, and reality competition show fan, Shaily Hakimian. Shaily started doing social media for her hobby community in high school on MySpace. Now she guides businesses on how to stay top of mind with their community and referral network using social media. We connected with Shaily recently for two TikTok for Business led webinars in the Andersonville Chamber network. 

This week, Laura and David (yes, David!) host our first “in conversation with” episode, welcoming back Michael Bransford, owner of Vincent Restaurant in conversation with friend and business neighbor Johanna VanDorf, owner of Defloured: A Gluten Free Bakery. Avid #AlwaysAndersonville fans will remember that Michael was our first guest ever for Episode 1 of this podcast, and we are excited to have Johanna on for the first time! Vincent just celebrated 10 years in Andersonville this past week at 1475 W Balmoral and next door neighbor Defloured at 1477 W Balmoral celebrates 10 years on September 21. 

This week, Laura and Joelle are joined by Karin Moen Abercrombie and Emily England of the Swedish American Museum to get an update on how the Museum has been handling virtual programming and events and in-person visits due to COVID-19. Karin, who has joined us on the podcast before, is the Executive Director of this beloved institution and community hub in the heart of Andersonville, and Emily as the Museum curator manages the permanent collection as well as exhibits at 5211 N Clark.

This week, Laura, Heather and Joelle are joined by Ann Kienzle, owner of *play toys, books & gifts which opened in the former Toys Et Cetera space this past March. With locations in Logan Square and Lincoln Park, the Andersonville location marks the third neighborhood for *play. With more than 20 years of experience in the toy industry, Ann took her love for community and a reverence for childhood and created well-designed space that inspires awe in children and adults. You can visit this community-minded shop at 5311 N Clark.

View episode show notes here. 

This week, Laura and Joelle are joined by Chef Kelley Davison of Bettie Lou’s in Andersonville. Focusing on American cuisine with an urban twist, Chef Kelley’s menu pulls inspiration from European, Asian and Island dishes. A fan favorite, the Soul Rolls, have made their appearance at several Andersonville events now, including last year’s Farmers Market Dinner and Taste of Andersonville. Chef Kelley has an unrelenting positive outlook on life and drive to spread love within the community, which is evident in her warm and welcoming approach at Bettie Lou’s location at 5633 N Ashland.

This week, Heather and Joelle are joined by Lisa Beacom, General Manager of School of Rock Andersonville, which opens soon in the neighborhood. All of their music programs for kids, teens, and adults are designed to help students gain amazing musical proficiency, and to get students performing in a band. Students can take virtual, one-on-one music instruction from the comfort of their homes with a  Remote Program containing weekly one-on-one instruction conducted by expert School of Rock instructors in a safe virtual lesson room.

This week, Laura & Heather are joined by Baird & Warner Real Estate Broker, Dan Nelson. Dan loves houses and has spent the last twenty years running a real estate company with his wife. Dan uses negotiating skills, market analysis, and his vast understanding of buying and selling property to help people find homes they will love.

This week, Laura and Joelle are joined by Mindy Friedler, co-owner of FIYA. FIYA, which reflects the owner’s love of wood fire, bread and baking, opened quietly in June at 5419 N Clark and is a melting pot of Israeli cuisine, with influences from the Middle East, Europe, and the Mediterranean.

After an extended hiatus, we return today with our departing Andersonville Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Sara Dinges whose last day with the organization is today, Wednesday July 29. Sara started with Andersonville in 2008 working as the Managing Director of the Andersonville Development Corporation (now ASCA), a position she held until 2011 and then returned to Andersonville at the helm as Executive Director of the Chamber and ASCA in May 2017. Listen in as she share some of her fondest Andersonville memories.