Patrons can meet artists at Angelina
BY STEPHANIE KOHL skohl@pioneerlocal.com October 10, 2011 3:26PM
LAKE ZURICH Tuesday Oct 4 2011 Kristie Vargo is owner of Bliss and re-purposes items into notebooks, journals and makes stationary and greeting cards. Most of the cereal and snack boxes are donated to Vargo. | Michelle LaVigne~Sun-Times Media
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Updated: November 11, 2011 5:49PM
Angelina in Barrington is giving its customers the opportunity to meet the artists behind the products they love to purchase.
Angelina, 200 S. Cook St., Barrington, will host Meet the Arts from noon until 5 p.m. Oct. 15 at the store. The show will feature Threads By Tolle’s upcycled handbags, Angie Consalvo’s mixed media art, Bliss’ stationary, books and journals, Viridian Handcrafts’ leather jewelry and Alexandra Leigh’s silver jewelry.
“We always have hosted trunk shows in the past and we decided to do a bigger show where we can feature more artists,” said Owner Katie Kuempel, adding that all of the featured artists are, or have been, carried in the store.
Meet the Arts will be set up on the sidewalk in front of the store to give it a street show type feel. The artists will be on hand to meet and chat with shoppers.
“Sometimes it’s difficult for people to understand the price of a handmade item... when you see there is a person behind the product... it adds value and just makes it more personal,” Kuempel said.
Kristie Vargo, owner of Bliss, has been in business since 2001. Although she started her professional career in advertising, after the birth of her first daughter, she decided to stay home and go into business for herself.
“I always was artistic as a kid and being a practical person at the time, I thought ‘well, I can’t be an artist and make money,’” the Barrington resident said of first going into advertising.
Vargo makes books and journals using recycled materials, like cereal boxes and other packaging. She is also a custom correspondence card maker.
“There’s some really cool art and really cool boxes out there,” Vargo said. “We like to call it repurposing.”
Vargo is looking forward to meeting the people who purchase her products and getting a feel for what they really like.
“It’s fun to have that interaction with people,” she said.
For more information on Meet the Arts, log on to www.shopangelina.com.
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