The selection is small — some jeans, a few pairs of shoes, a table with some jewelry — but the products are high quality, with items by designers such as Joie, Paige, and Cupcakes and Cashmere.
Blond Genius, a temporary pop-up shop, is run by owner Katie Calles, who said she has made a big effort to make the store feel less temporary and more homey and modern.
Blond Genius is full of neutral colors and has a comfortable armchair customers can relax in while they shop.
Owner Katie Calles, who moved to Bloomington about a year and a half ago, said she saw something was missing from the Bloomington fashion scene.
“I love Bloomington and I love the community,” Calles said. “I saw a really good opportunity to bring some of these brands that I love and wear all the time to here and make them accessible to everyone.”
Calles bought the rights to Blond Genius, a brand owned by Erin Brincks-Eischeid that currently has two stores in Des Moines, Iowa. Calles opened the third Blond Genius location in December.
Calles said she called Brincks-Eischeid looking for a mentoring opportunity.
Instead, Brincks-Eischeid suggested Calles look into opening her own Blond Genius.
“The brand, the concept, the image was exactly what I wanted in my business,” Calles said.
With the help of her family and fiancé, Calles put the entire pop-up together in under three days.
Calles, who studied agricultural business at the University of Illinois, currently balances a job in the farming industry while also spending time launching Blond Genius.
“It’s a work in progress right now and I think we’re all learning,” Calles said. “I’ve done sales, marketing, logistics, operations, so I at least had a pretty good knowledge of overall business.”
Rather than diving in with a permanent location, the pop-up store tests the Blond Genius concept and brands in Bloomington, Calles said.
“The response has been unbelievably positive,” Calles said. “It kind of confirmed what I thought about bringing something exciting, new and needed to Bloomington.”
The customers are mainly young professionals, students and moms, Calles said.
Blond Genius is like a mini Nordstrom or Barneys Co-op, and customers can easily pop in and get what they need, Calles said.
The store also hosts events. During the holidays, Blond Genius held a “mingle and jingle” event.
“Women could come in and make a wishlist, and then their husbands could come in and choose to pull from it,” Calles said. “That way they got exactly what the wanted, and the husbands knew they were good to go.”
Downtown Bloomington already has many clothing boutiques.
However, Calles said she hopes the brands, service and attention to detail will set the Blond Genius apart from other stores.
On the wall above the register, there is a large photograph showing what the permanent Blond Genius location will look like — something currently in the works, Calles said.
She also said she would like to stay in the downtown area.
“My business and Blond Genius is my passion,” Calles said. “I’m excited to help women find things that make them look and feel good.”
