New Local Businesses in Wooster

New Wooster Business Features:

For this issue, The Wooster Blade staf chose to utilize our Feature section to spotlight new businesses within our community. Featured are The Curry Pot, The Ivory Room, Boho Nails and Oma Gourd.

New Restaurant: The Curry Pot

OLIVIA HINER

co-editor-in-chief On Sept 1, the Curry Pot Restaurant, which is owned by Renoy Barua and Tania Bayer, opened their doors for takeout and delivery. After moving to Wooster from India, Barua said , they, “missed Indian restaurants and Indian food,” noting that all of the cities they have lived in prior to Wooster had many Indian restaurants. At the beginning of the pandemic in 2020, the two began looking for commercial kitchens through which they could prepare and sell Indian food. They came across Local Roots Market & Cafe. After that, they, “took the Saturday lunch spot and have offered a huge variety of Indian foods from their kitchen.” After an overwhelming response, Barua said the opportunities coming their way were, “pointing towards the need for an Indian restaurant in Wooster.” In Dec. 2021, they purchased the building previously occupied by Biscuit Uprising and have been working on it since. They hope to open their restaurant for dining within the next few months. Starting a business has proven to bring challenges. Barua stated that “Staffing issues have always been a challenge…Our cooking involves a lot of prep work as all our food and even the spice mixes are made from scratch. This was more effort than what our candidates who worked in American kitchens or fast food restaurants were used to.” Along with this, they have faced supply chain issues. Despite the challenges, Barua said that they have enjoyed giving, “many local people an opportunity to try Indian food for the first time and fall in love with it with our offerings.” They are “excited to bring healthy and delicious Indian food to Wayne County. “ For job applications or to place orders, visit https://www. thecurrypot.org/

Bridal Shop: The Ivory Room

MATTIE DUNLAP

cover editor

On Oct. 15, Ivory Room will be opening a storefront on Liberty St. in downtown Wooster. Ivory Room is owned by Carrolyn Salazar, who says she has always thought a bridal shop business would go well downtown. Salazar says Ivory Room will focus on wedding apparel, but will also sell clothing for other occasions. “I will also be selling cocktail dresses; little black dresses. And, I would like to do Prom and Homecoming too. I’ll also have some cute accessories to go along with the gowns and formal wear,” Salazar said. Salazar additionally mentions that she wants Ivory Room to be more than just an ordinary shop. “We want to make it [Ivory Room] a destination location. I really want it to be an experience when people come into the shop. I want them to really feel transported to a bigger city. When people walk in, they’re gonna be treated like royalty,” Salazar said. Jenny Skala, long-time friend of Salazar and head buyer of Ivory Room, furthers Salazar’s point of Ivory Room being a unique and different bridal shop. “If a bride, for instance, goes into the store and sees a dress that might be vintage or one of a kind, she can leave with it the same day, kind of like a cash and carry concept. That’s not something that you see a lot in bridal salons. She’s [Salazar] carrying custom, off the rack, and vintage,” Skala said. Skala calls Ivory Room an, “eclectic merchandise mix” and a place brides will travel to. Shannon Waller, executive director of Main Street Wooster, admires Salazar’s aspirations. “[Salazar] is going to make any bride feel very wonderful about the experience and she has great ideas about partnering with businesses that are in town, so I think it [Ivory Room] is going to bring new energy to downtown Wooster. I look forward to seeing her grow and really thrive downtown. It’s gonna be a fun place to go to make that special day just perfect,” Waller said. More information can be found at ivoryroomwooster.com. Owners of Boho Nails and Oma Gourd pose in front of their storefronts. The couple has taken over Wooster since opening their unique businesses. The Mullis‘ are alums of WHS and were high school sweethearts.

Photos by Caleb Kostoryhz

New Businesses: Boho Nails and Oma Gourd

JAELYN FREDERICK

staff writer Oma Gourd is a food truck run by WHS alum Justin Mullis. Mullis said, “I opened Oma Gourd as a solution to the food diversity problem in Wooster. My goal was to create an experience that allows people from all different lifestyles to come together and eat without worrying whether there will be an option for them.” Oma Gourd has many different dish options making it more accessible for people who are picky eaters. The most popular options are the chicken bowl and the sweet potato. According to Mullis, “Running a food truck is ‘round the clock’ work. It’s much more than simply cooking good food. There are hours before and after shifts that I spend preparing and planning. But it’s very rewarding, especially because I have such an incredible team and wonderful support from the community.” Boho Nails is owned and operated by Sara Mullis and they are located at 165 N. Bever St. One of their specialties at Boho Nails is luminary structured gel manicures. Mullis stated, “I chose to specialize in luminary during quarantine in 2020. I tried it on myself and fell in love. It allows your natural nails to grow out beautifully with added strength, which gives the look of acrylics… without the weight and bulk.” Luminary nails are strong and last for a long time. According to an employee at Boho Nails, Olivia Salyers, “I chose luminary because I was looking for a product that lasts! It’s a gel that doesn’t lift, chip or peel. And unlike other nail products it doesn’t need to be removed each nail appointment. It’s truly such a strong and amazing product that clients love!.” Boho Nails also specializes in hand painted nail art.

THE WOOSTER BLADE | VIEWS | OCT. 7, 2022 | PAGE 12 THE WOOSTER

BLADE

Editors-in-Chief Olivia Hiner, Brittany Wachtel Graphics Managers Nora Levy, Ben Stavnezer Head Photographers Nora Levy, Ben Stavnezer A & E Editor Laura Rapport Cover Editors Mattie Dunlap, Molly Byrne Feature Editor Ben Stavenzer Focus Editor Grace Kostohryz On Campus Editor Hannah LoGiudice Sports Editor Nora Levy Trends Editor Stella Powers Views Editor Brittany Wachtel, Olivia Hiner Staff Writers Lily Campbell-Lehtinen, Laynee Eslich, Rhys Florence-Smith, Jaleyn Frederick, Ethan Keating, Caleb Kostohryz, Rebekah Lay, Tristan Miller, Jamie Ogle, Caleb Singer-Holden, Jackson Stansifer Graphics Nora Levy, Olivia Hiner Photographers Brittany Wachtel, Ben Stavenezer, Nora Levy, Lily CampbellLehtinen, Hannah LoGiudice, Ethan Keating, Molly Byrne, Caleb Kostohryz, Rebekah Lay, Laynee Eslich, Caleb Singer-Holden Adviser Kristi Hiner The Wooster Blade is a biweekly student publication printed every other Friday by the Newspaper Production classes at Wooster High School. The Wooster Blade is designated as an open forum and follows publishing guidelines as established by district-wide publications policy protecting students’ freedom of expression. All copy, art and photography are property of The Wooster Blade and cannot be reproduced without permission. Letters to the editor are limited to 300 words and The Wooster Blade reserves the rights to print and edit as per length and content. The Wooster Blade is a member of Quill and Scroll, National Scholastic Press Association and Columbia Scholastic Press Association. Letters and inquiries should be addressed to The Wooster Blade, 515 Oldman Road Wooster, Ohio 44691. The Wooster Blade can be contacted at 330-345-4000 ext. 3210. The newspaper can also be found at thewoosterblade.com

THE VOICE OF WOOSTER HIGH SCHOOL

OUR VIEW Media sites should cease invasive tracking

If you use a web browser regularly, then you’ve probably picked up a few cookies along the way. Cookies are used to remember things about websites like your login information, what you have in your shopping cart, what pages you visit on the website, and what language you prefer. They are created by websites and sit in your browser until they expire. Some cookies are harmless, but others remain active even on websites that they did not come from, gathering information about your behavior and what you click on. They can track IP addresses to determine a user’s location, information about browsers, the device the user access the site with and browsing activity across different sites. Cookies gives those with access to the information insight about the individual user’s interests, shopping habits, problems they are facing, and more. This can lead to targeted advertising and leaks of user data. Tracking cookies can be so invasive that many antivirus programs classify them as spyware. Despite their bad reputation, they have become so widespread that it is nearly impossible to avoid them. Dusty Johnson, a senator from South Dakota, has introduced a bill that aims to investigate Tiktok to determine if TikTok has engaged in unfair or deceptive acts or practices within the Federal Trade Commission Act. The act will then prohibit the use of TikTok on federal government devices and especially military installations. The Trump administration, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, expressed national security concerns over the popular social media app’s Chinese ownership, with Pompeo saying in an interview with The New York Times at one point that TikTok might be, “feeding data directly to the Chinese Communist Party.” Its goal is to reduce the possibility of U.S. user’s data being taken and used for any nefarious purpose as access to a camera and microphone is something that is extremely valuable in a wartime or preparatory scenario. “ByteDance, the owner company of TikTok, is a Chinese company, and they’re subject to Chinese national

law, which says that whenever the government asks for the data a company is holding for whatever reason, the company must turn it over. They have no right to appeal,” said Jim Lewis, senior vice president and director, strategic technologies program at the Center for Strategic & International Studies. If the Chinese government wants to look at the data that ByteDance is collecting, they can do so, and no one can object to it or blow the whistle about it. The Chinese government’s track record when it comes to human rights and widespread surveillance is certainly reason for concern. The 2015 data breach of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management showed that governmental records are at risk, as 22.1 million records were leaked with information that was obtained and exfiltrated in the breach including information such as Social Security numbers, names, dates and places of birth, and addresses. State-sponsored hackers working on behalf of the Chinese government carried out the attack. Students express concern about parking lot

The WHS student parking lot is the designated place for student drivers to park during the school day; however, the traffic has made it a bit of a safety hazard during drop off and pickup times, with frequent accidents occurring. Many students have expressed concerns regarding the potentially dangerous aspects of the student parking lot. Some of these worries include lack of supervision, protocols and parent pick-up patterns. To avoid getting in the way of the buses, parents often pick up students at the Gault entrance, which leads into the student parking lot. This sometimes forms lines that go all the way up the rows of parked cars, making it incredibly difficult for student drivers to exit the parking lot. Expressing her concerns, Emily James (12) says, “I am concerned that the current system that is in place for pickup is not safe for students. Parents will pick up their kids all through the parking lot by lining up and down the aisles and along the curb of the school. Not only do they block drivers, but they create a dangerous parking lot where I have a hard time seeing them as I reverse out of a spot, but also when I round the corner of a new lane.” April Teichmer, WHS police officer, shares that the size of WHS makes organizing traffic difficult. “In a perfect world, we would have designated entrances and exits for the parking lot so traffic flow would be uniform,” says Teichmer. “Since we are a large school it will take a lot of reorganization in order for that to happen.” A way the school has tried to control the student parking lot is the implementation of parking passes. According to Teichmer, “The purpose of the pass is to identify which cars belong to students, as opposed to patrons using the Gault or the Natatorium. They also help to identify specific students’ vehicles.” The requirement of parking passes has been mentioned on morning announcements, and can be obtained in the main office. While the intent is good, passes only work if students actually utilize them, something which has been an issue in the past. The Wooster BLADE Editorial staff would like to advocate for repercussions if students are not using them in order to create a safer parking lot for everyone.