Clear Creek Food Co-op and Unwind Yarn Shop are Student Favorites

Our student blogger, Abby Primack from Earlham College, shares a few Downtown Richmond favorites in her latest blog post.

Almost every Saturday morning, my friends and I walk the mile and a half into downtown Richmond to get our fix of local food. Finding locally-produced/grown food in Richmond can be difficult at times, especially after the local Farmer’s market ends in October, but the Clear Creek Food Co-op provides the perfect solution. Once located on Earlham College’s campus, Clear Creek now makes its home on Main Street in downtown Richmond. With a mission “to provide healthy food and high quality products to our members and the local community” while making a “reasonable effort to buy and offer locally grown and created products”[1], the food co-op makes itself an invaluable part of Richmond. 

Beyond the artfully decorated window display lies a small goldmine of local produce, bulk foods, local meats, prepared lunches, vitamin and mineral supplements, and beauty and home care items. My first stop is the local produce section, which holds an affordable seasonal offering of fruits and vegetables, such as organic and local garlic, apples, squash, potatoes, lettuce, spinach, and tomatoes. Once I have my fill of fruits and vegetables, I head over to the bulk section and load up on popcorn kernels and red and green lentils.

The bulk section is filled with an impressive selection of dried beans, dried fruits, pasta, TVP, GORP, local honey, nutritional yeast, maple syrup, raw nuts, chocolate covered nuts, and nut butters. Lining the walls is a beautiful assortment of powdered and whole spices, sure to please even the pickiest cooking enthusiast. Lastly, I move onto the refrigerated section, which includes local eggs, cheeses, milk and dairy products, and grass-fed meat. There is also a wide array of sodas and kombucha, non-local organic breads, such as Ezekiel bread, and my personal favorite, ice cream and sorbet. After checking out, and on the walk home, I think about all of the home cooked meals that I will make that week with my friends, and start planning for my next trip.

If you find that are you one of the many creative people in this world, Unwind Yarn Shop is the perfect place for you. Just five years old, this locally owned knitting store strives to “revitalize the downtown by putting in businesses people want to come to”. Owner Vicki Hair has been a voracious knitter her whole life and loves to share her passion with others through classes. Unwind offers year-round classes in knitting and crocheting, such as the Basic Sock ($45 + materials), Beginning Knitting ($35 + materials), Chinook Scarf ($30 + materials), and the Vintage Cardigan ($55 + materials). On top of the numerous classes offered, two knitting clubs meet every week. Loops of Love, the charity knitting group, meets on the first and third Tuesday of the month, and the Selfish Knitters, those who desire to knit for themselves, meets on the second and fourth Tuesday of the month.

As one first notices from walking in the door, the shop is literally covered wall to wall with yarn.  The cozy knitter’s haven offers an astounding variety of yarn, with brands ranging from the beautiful Japanese Noro yarn, incredibly soft Ecco Cashmere yarn, and even a local Richmond Alpaca yarn. Both metal and bamboo needles are sold as well, along with a variety of instructional knitting and crocheting books and magazines. With winter coming around the bend and the holidays approaching fast, a trip to Unwind Yarn Shop is all you need for a fun, memorable holiday gift.

Clear Creek Food Co-op
710 East Main Street
Richmond, IN 47374
Monday-Saturday 11am-6pm
Closed Sunday
(765) 939-4390
www.clearcreekcoop.org/

Unwind Yarn Shop

921 East Main Street
Richmond, Indiana 47374
Monday-Friday 11am-5pm
Saturday 10am-pm
Closed Sunday
(765) 966-2500
www.unwindrichmond.com

[1]http://www.clearcreekcoop.org

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Italian Market is a Favorite of Richmond's Many College Students

Parker's General Store, Maria Mitrione's and Richmond

Hardware share this interesting building in Richmond's

Historic Depot District. Photo is courtesy of Jana

Haustetter Angelucci and was submitted to our

Summer Photo Contest.

Maria Mitrione’s Italian Market is a favorite spot for a late afternoon lunch for many Earlham students and people of the Richmond community. Located in the Historic Depot District of Richmond, Indiana, the Italian market is easily accessible and is located inside Parker’s General Store, near the French bistro Ghyslain.



My friends and I venture to the Italian Market a few times a month for our much needed breaks from the cafeteria food at Earlham. Upon first entering the Italian Market, we notice the toasty smell of fresh coffee and grilled sandwiches. As we approach the deli counter that holds a large variety of imported and local meats, cheeses, olives, and pasta dishes, our stomachs churn with indecision over what we want for lunch. An unanimously-voted favorite sandwich among my friends is the Mile High Grilled Cheese sandwich, which includes melted colby, provolone, and mozzarella cheeses with tomato, oregano and mayonnaise layered perfectly on top. My personal favorite is the prosciutto panini, which includes thick layers of salty prosciutto and mozzarella grilled to perfection. If I’m feeling like I need a little green in me, there is a wonderful salad bar, as well as made-to-order salads that I wish I had access to 24/7.

Along with a variety of sandwiches, the Italian Market offers natural casing hot dogs, delicious homemade soups that will cure any degree of homesickness, homemade pizza, a full espresso bar, and of course, desserts.

While we wait for our sandwiches to be made, we walk straight to the front of the store where the exotic drinks are kept. My East Coast friends usually go for Fentiman’s Victorian Lemonade or Ginger Beer, a staple at home, while I go for the natural root beers or cream sodas. If you’re of the legal age, a selection of local and imported beers and wines are available. After choosing our drinks, we explore the food section of the market, which includes almost all of the Bob’s Red Mill grains and bread mixes, beautiful imported pasta from Italy, fresh baked breads, pasta sauces and olive oils, and a shelf of hot sauces with noteworthy names.

Parker's General Store - Photo by Julie Dishman.

If you’ve got a sweet tooth, the Italian Market offers a small candy store’s worth of sugary goods and chocolate, and if you’re a coffee connoisseur, there are more than a dozen varieties of coffee beans available to grind. 

I often feel that the best part of our visit is just how affordable it is. As many college students know, going out to eat often can be quite costly, but the Italian Market makes it easy to enjoy the small luxury of homemade food. You will be surprised to find a meal over $10, and most are large enough that they can be easily split between two friends. Once the sandwiches are perfectly grilled, they are brought to our table, along with a small side of olives, pickles, and Uncle Ray’s potato chips. Once finished, which usually doesn’t take long, we leave with a nice content feeling and a happier state of mind. 

Maria Mitrione's Italian Market

450 N 10th St
Richmond, IN 47374

Open Monday - Thursday 7:30 AM - 7 PM

Friday and Saturday 7:30 AM - 8 PM

Sunday 11 AM - 4 PM

(765) 939 – 4152

http://www.4parker.com/maria_mitriones.html

Abby Primack is a Biology major, Chemistry

minor from Oak Park, Illinois, and currently a

sophomore at Earlham College. She loves

reading, cooking, exploring, playing scrabble,

and anything to do with peanut butter and chocolate.