Poster store opens on Kirkwood

Students returning to Bloomington this week are discovering a new poster and print store on Kirkwood Avenue. The store, Beyond the Wall, has been open just three weeks, and it is gaining popularity with returning students.\nBrooke Yarber, a recent IU graduate in studio art, is the store manager. She said the store specializes in posters and tapestries, but it will soon carry other items ranging from key chains to games.\n"Business is really picking up with students coming back this week. We're busy pretty much all the time," she said.\nOne reason might be that there is not a large selection of posters and prints in Bloomington, especially compared to other college towns, she said. \nAlso important is the store's location, in the heart of downtown Bloomington.\nBut Yarber thinks it is the way the store is run that makes it so attractive.\n"We really stress friendliness and a casual environment here. We always have music playing, and we are always friendly to the customers," she said.\nYarber said Beyond the Wall tries to keep up on trends, so it can offer "the latest, most popular posters at prices college students can afford. They also take special requests for posters they don't have in stock," she said.\nBeyond the Wall is owned by Pennsylvania-based Trent Graphics. Trent Graphics has periodically set up booths at the Indiana Memorial Union during the past several years, and the popularity of posters and prints led the company to set up a permanent store in Bloomington.\nBut success didn't come easy for the store at first. \n"It was kind of a pain at first, with the construction going on," Yarber said.\nIt took a while for word about the store to get around, she said, but once customers realized how "affordable, friendly and laid back" the store is, it didn't take long for them to start telling their friends.\nBeyond the Wall is located at 512 E. Kirkwood Ave., next to The Den. The store is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and from noon until 6 p.m. Sundays. Yarber is considering extending hours Sunday to accommodate the influx of students throughout the weekend.