Students love Uptown Normal. The unique shops and restaurants have quickly become a staple of the ISU experience.
The Pod, located at 104 E. Beaufort St., is no exception. Customers step through the purple door into a colorful mecca of local art. Handmade clothing, hats, jewelry and art fill the shop’s walls and invite customers to view some of Bloomington-Normal’s best artists.

“Once we opened our doors, a flood of talent came through. We will look at anybody’s work. We do have a waiting list right now of artists trying to get in, but we try to give as many artists an opportunity as possible,”  Wetzel said.

The shop sells art at a 30 percent commission rate, meaning artists receive 70 percent of the profit made off of their items.

Beth Epley’s hand knitted cupcake hats have been a huge success, as well as Gayla Betts’ handmade pendants for Valentine’s Day. The Pod’s Facebook page features many of the stores popular items.

Vivianne Velazquez/Senior Staff: Early evening on a gloomy Thursday in Uptown Normal, Savannah Wetzel, senior at Normal West High School, works at her mother’s colorful shop, The Pod. The Pod supplies customers with handmade clothing, jewelry and art.

Everything about this store is a work of art, including the exterior.

The mural on the shop’s outside wall has become a recognizable part of Uptown Normal’s culture. Community members gathered to create the mural during the building’s renovation about two years ago.

“Initially we were going to have only a few spaces painted, but we had such a huge interest. We started off with people we knew and all of a sudden we had all types of people interested, students, the elderly and children,” Wetzel said.

“I think the youngest painter was about four. We mapped out as many spaces as we could. People filled them in on a first come first serve basis. It’s a community mural,” she added.

Natalie Wetzel and Bekah Berry co-own the shop with their husbands. Natalie and Bekah met seven years ago at ISU and both have an art degree from the university. The pair started “art circle,” a group of local artists who meet once a month.

“From art circle we grew a desire to have a brick and mortar space to sell our own work and promote the work of other artists. We began actively searching for a space and this corner became available,” Wetzel said.
  

Vivianne Velazquez/Senior Staff: “Our heart and passion is in selling things made locally. At certain times we supplement from outside companies when merchandise is low,” Natalie Wetzel, Co-owner of The Pod, said.

The team did a five week renovation on the space, including painting the exterior.

The shop is based around locally made art, but some items are also from outside of Bloomington-Normal.

“Our heart and passion is in selling things made locally. At certain times we supplement from outside companies when merchandise is low,” Wetzel said.

To view new items, and for more information, visit The Pod’s Facebook page. The Pod is also participating in Redbird Mondays. Students can receive 25 percent  off their purchase on Mondays by showing their Redbird ID Card.