Couple succeeds with business

More than 10 years ago, two IU alumni were informed that the building they were interested in for their new business had evicted its tenants and was now for sale.

Kerry Feigenbaum, an IU graduate in English, and Lyle Feigenbaum, an IU graduate from the Kelley School of Business, spent three years renovating the building and opened Scholars Inn on New Year’s Eve with one guest.

“We saw the place at its worst, but we didn’t look at it as a disaster,” Lyle Feigenbaum said. “We looked at it and saw a lot of potential.”

The couple first met and dated at IU but went their separate ways as Kerry Feigenbaum moved to Key West for work and Lyle Feigenbaum moved to Chicago and then to New York for an acting career. The couple reunited four years later.

“After we got married, I moved out to New York to be with Lyle. I was there for four months before we decided we missed Bloomington and wanted to find a business opportunity, so we could live here,” Kerry Feigenbaum said.

The Feigenbaums’ said that they are grateful for all the success they’ve had in Bloomington.

“Bloomington is really an amazing place. Our college friends are pretty jealous we get to live here,” Kerry Feigenbaum said. “But we are especially glad we have the opportunity to give back to the community we love.”

The Feigenbaums’ are avid cyclists – a reason they wanted to move back to hilly Bloomington – and supporters of the Cutters’ cycling team.

The entrance’s awning is covered with cyclists, Little 500 pictures line the walls and employees all wear Cutters t-shirts stating “Cutters’ cycling, fueled by Scholars Inn.”

Lyle Feigenbaum, a Little 500 veteran, said their relationship began with the Cutters when the team started coming in after races. The downtown location is now a second home for the team.

The Feigenbaums’ said their love of cycling and athleticism is the motivating force behind their food’s quality.

Lyle and Kerry Feigenbaum said Scholars Inn’s menus only offer wholesome and affordable foods with ingredients everyone knows to promote healthy lifestyles.

“We understand the importance of eating healthy and working out, and we want to be a place where people can embrace that lifestyle and not have to question what’s in the food they are eating,” Lyle Feigenbaum said.

The couple also own Scholars Inn on Massachusetts Avenue in Indianapolis, which required renovation.

“The building was a mess. There wasn’t a ceiling, there were holes in the floor, there was even a mannequin’s head just laying in a corner. It was kind of creepy,” Kerry Feigenbaum said. “But we were able to renovate a building in a not-so-great area of town and bring some life back.”