North Indy Magazine December 2023

DECEMBER 2023

MAGAZINE

HOT OFF THE PRESS UNITED STATE OF INDIANA CELEBRATES THE HOOSIER STATE IN ITS VARIETY OF PRODUCTS COOL BEANS

Customers Are Part of the Family at illumine coffee co.

THAT FIGURES

The Toy Pit Buys, Sells and Trades Collectibles, Action Figures, Video Games and a Whole Lot More

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Customers Are Part of the Family at illumine coffee co.

The Toy Pit Buys, Sells and Trades Collectibles, Action Figures, Video Games and a Whole Lot More

COOL BEANS

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THAT FIGURES

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Cool Beans

Customers Are Part of the Family at illumine coffee co.

Writer / Scott Soltys-Curry Photographer / Michael Durr

Have you ever walked into a local coffee shop and exhaled because you immediately felt at home? That’s what happens upon entering illumine coffee co. on Westfield Boulevard near 86th Street. That feeling of comfort and relief is partly by design, but it is mostly because of Kent and Anna Phillips, the husband-and-wife owners.

The large front windows of the cafe reach up to the ceiling, allowing natural light to fill the space. Guests are welcomed by the familiar aroma of coffee wafting from behind the counter. Friendly baristas greet each person like friends and family, and offer a rundown of their extensive menu full of rejuvenating drinks and tasty treats.

A large neon sign hanging behind the counter reads, “be a light.” It reflects the cafe’s mission of bringing light to a sometimes dark world, which is something the owners have excelled at since before opening this Nora cafe in February 2023.

Owner Kent Phillips

Anna and Kent co-own illumine, and though the cafe is relatively new, they are no strangers to coffee itself.

Before illumine became an official business 4 / NORTH INDY MAGAZINE / DECEMBER 2023 / TownePost.com

in 2020, Kent was already obsessed with coffee. At that point he had already spent at least 10 years practicing the craft of coffee roasting, first using a stovetop popcorn maker to roast beans, which is a common and affordable entry point to home roasting.

After spending that decade leveling up his roasting skills (and eventually graduating to bigger and better roasters), illumine was born.

themselves to the world of serving coffee directly to customers.

Eventually they grew enough to land their first physical location as the coffee counter inside the Indianapolis Art Center in Broad Ripple. After that lease was up, another growth opportunity presented itself with the storefront in Nora.

Indy coffee drinkers first started noticing illumine at local farmers markets, where Kent and the team would pop-up in a vintage, refurbished RV-turned-mobile-coffee-cart. Similar to today, they would offer bags of their freshly roasted beans for sale alongside hot coffee and their popular cold brew.

Besides offering up space for us coffee lovers to enjoy their brews, Kent roasts all of the coffee for the cafe, online store, and wholesale partners in the back of the shop. That coffee smell that welcomes in every guest comes from behind the counter, but during several days of the week, it also comes from the coffee being freshly roasted just a dozen or so feet away from where it’s ground up and served for coffee drinkers to enjoy.

Farmers markets provided a great way for the duo to acclimate

The Nora cafe has opened up a whole new world for the Phillips and

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the illumine team. Their passion for coffee is apparent in the coffee they provide, but it is also apparent in the community they have created in and around their cafe. It shows up in how they build relationships with customers at the register. It shows up in how they educate their guests about coffee and then prepare their drinks. It shows up in how they foster the actual community that comes through their doors. It also shows up in how they regularly partner with local organizations and nonprofits.

Nora has long been somewhat of a local coffee dessert, with people begging for years on social media for a local coffee shop to open up. Now that illumine has opened, they are a welcome oasis for the entire spectrum of coffee drinkers.

Remote workers, from start-up founders

to graphic designers to real estate agents, escape the monotony of their home and corporate offices and find solace among the seating options inside illumine’s spacious cafe. Students and administrators from nearby schools fuel up before, during and after long school days. Groups of nearby YMCAgoers meet every week after swim class.

Customers of all kinds easily pop in to stay caffeinated as they run errands up and down 86th Street.

Being a family-run business is part of what makes illumine special, but the husbandand-wife duo aren’t the only Phillipses making an impact behind the counter.

The coffee couple has two children who are also ingrained in the illumine story.

You’ll often find them greeting regulars at the register, asking how their recent trips were or how their jobs are going, and

8517 Westfield Rd, Indianapolis, IN 6 / NORTH INDY MAGAZINE / DECEMBER 2023 / TownePost.com

you’ll even find them at a farmers market helping to dole out cups of their family’s delicious coffee.

The Phillips kids love being part of the family business, but to Kent and Anna, it’s more than just the kids having fun. As with any small business, illumine started out as a dream, one that would take a lot of hard work, time and determination to pull off. It is important to the Phillipses to teach their kids about chasing their own dreams while respecting the hard work it takes to achieve them. By being around the day-today operations, the kids have seen the (sometimes daily) challenges of running a small business, especially the quirks that come from working with coffee.

The stories of illumine coffee and the Phillips family are really just beginning. With the Nora shop not even a year old, they know they have a long way to go to get where they want to be. Their cafe will always be a welcoming space for the community, roasting and education will continue to be important to the team, and you’ll still find them at your favorite farmers market. Kent and Anna are currently ironing out the final details for a second shop in Plainfield. It’s a little too early to go into much detail, so you’ll have to stay tuned to see where they grow next.

Visit the cafe at 8517 Westfield Boulevard in Indianapolis. For more info, call 317-942-3526 or visit illuminecoffee.com.

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DECEMBER 2023

MAGAZINE

HOT OFF THE PRESS UNITED STATE OF INDIANA CELEBRATES THE HOOSIER STATE IN ITS VARIETY OF PRODUCTS COOL BEANS

Customers Are Part of the Family at illumine coffee co.

THAT FIGURES

The Toy Pit Buys, Sells and Trades Collectibles, Action Figures, Video Games and a Whole Lot More

TownePost.com

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Graham Brown, Owner

HOT OFF THE PRESS

Grant Gilman, Owner

UNITED STATE OF INDIANA CELEBRATES THE HOOSIER STATE IN ITS VARIETY OF PRODUCTS Writer / Michelle Kaufman Photographer / Michael Durr

T

wo Hoosier natives are continuing to expand their business while helping customers show their love for Indiana events, traditions and places.

taught himself the craft and enjoys trying new designs and techniques.

“We do all water-based screen printing, which is unique to most United State of Indiana (USI) was started in 2011 by Co-owner print shops,” Gilman says. “I’ve really dedicated a lot of time Graham Brown, and has since grown into an online marketplace, into honing that craft. That’s what excites me, the technical side. event exhibitor and new storefront in SoBro. I’m aiming to be the best screen printer every day.”

“Our lineup of Indiana-themed products has included hundreds of designs over the years, and all of them have been created and printed in-house by our team and friends,” Brown says. “Since the whole concept of the company is celebrating Indiana, it’s important to us to keep our production process as local as possible. We’re proud to be able to say everything is designed and printed by Hoosiers.”

All of USI’s T-shirts are screen printed by Co-owner Grant Gilman and his team in their Terre Haute print shop. Gilman

Inside the store, a shirt hangs on the wall that says “Everything in this store was made by six people” and features photos of each Terre Haute staff member. Brown says that helps the customer understand that USI is a small team, while also giving recognition to those involved in the day-to-day process that customers may not see.

While they were designing the space, the two drew inspiration from the look of mall stores like Hot Topic.

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“We really like the streamlined, mass-produced feel those chain stores have, and it fits well with the nature of screen printing, which is inherently about producing the same thing over and over again,” Brown says. “At the same time, we’re a small, local business like all the other shops that surround us, so hanging up that shirt that features our staff is an explicit reminder to our customers that their purchase directly supports a small group of hard-working people.”

In addition to apparel for kids and adults, USI offers over 200 sticker designs, flags, magnets and other Indiana-themed gift items.

Both Gilman and Brown are involved in the day-to-day operations of the business, and recently hired their first full-time graphic designer. As the business grows, they’re keeping the focus on customer service.

“I think the key to our success has been consistency with putting out new, good products, but also consistency in emailing back customers who have questions,” Brown says. “People feel like they can trust us.

Everyone talks about the human connection of business and I think we’ve done it really well.”

USI also offers custom printing services to anyone who needs apparel like volunteer T-shirts or staff jackets, as well

as promotional items like stickers and magnets. Through that side of the business, they’ve been able to work with other local businesses such as Upland Brewing Company and the Jazz Kitchen. USI offers custom design work in addition to screen printing company logos.

“Our whole team takes pride in how many cool businesses and groups we get to partner with for custom printing,” Gilman says. “So many of our clients are fellow Hoosiers and work in the same communities we do, and a lot of them are companies and causes that we admired before they ever became clients. We know they put enthusiasm and attention into their work every day, so we make sure to bring our energy and talent to help create something really valuable for them.”

The two were neighbors in SoBro, and say that’s the part of Indianapolis they have the most connection to. In the early days of the business, USI’s first office was in the back of the Vibes Music building. That building was later remodeled and became USI’s first retail location.

“It’s a really cool kind of full-circle thing, and I think it kind of embodies a lot of what the company is about, which is finding meaning in the place that you’re in and embracing those stories,” Brown says. “As our personal stories have changed so much, it’s really cool to be back in a place that reminds us of when the operation was much different.”

Since 2021, United State of Indiana has also designed and printed all the merchandise in the Indiana State Fair Gift Shop. The partnership lets the company bring their unique artwork and humor to iconic State Fair subject matter like agriculture, animals and fried food.

In 2023 USI hosted two concerts in the middle of their store with the products as a backdrop. In 2024 Gilman and Brown hope to make their retail store a hub for the community, and continue to host events and performances.

United State of Indiana is located at 1051 East 54th Street, Suite B in Indianapolis. They’re open seven days per week, and online at unitedstateofindiana.com.

Towne Post readers can get a 15% discount at USI’s store when they mention this article, through December 23.

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THAT FIGURES THE TOY PIT BUYS, SELLS AND TRADES COLLECTIBLES, ACTION FIGURES, VIDEO GAMES AND A WHOLE LOT MORE

Writer / Ryan Gabbert Photographer / Michael Durr

For most people, getting older means being stuck in a constant cycle of accumulating new stuff, and throwing away old stuff to make room for more stuff. It’s no secret that childhood toys and games are almost always the first to go.

There is one place, however, that makes digging through musty boxes and wiping off decades of dust worth it, and as it turns out, those old G.I. Joes and “Star Wars” toys might actually be worth something.

Founded in Fort Wayne in 2009, The Toy Pit Owner Mike Schott relocated the store to Indianapolis in 2015 and never looked back.

Now located just off 96th Street and Hague Road, the location is 5,000 square feet of pure nostalgia, with an ever-changing inventory and new arrivals daily. Memorabilia enthusiasts and collectors can find vintage action figures, records, Funko Pop collectibles, video games, statues, WWE championship belts, pinball machines and much more. There truly is something for every customer, at every price range. As stated on its website, “The ToyPit is Indianapolis’ largest, highest-rated and longest-established toy store.” It is an honor that is not taken lightly.

For Schott, the store is a culmination of years of passion and hard work. At the age of 18 Schott began buying and selling memorabilia and toys on eBay, but soon realized there was a better way. “I started acquiring things to buy and resell on eBay, and then over the years it just kind of took off,” he says. “When the recession hit I started to do TownePost.com / DECEMBER 2023 / NORTH INDY MAGAZINE / 15

a little bit more of that, just to kind of bring in a little extra money, but I started to outgrow the house, so I got a little storefront and then I outgrew that, and the rest is history.”

If that perfect holiday gift is something pop-culture-related from the ‘60s up to the present, there is a good chance it can be found at The Toy Pit. Its friendly and knowledgeable staff members are always ready to help buyers and sellers alike. This level of customer service is what makes the shop truly unique. No collection is too large or too small, and no item is too obscure that the staff won’t at least look into it. Customers will always receive a fair valuation and price for their collections.

They are the only store in Indianapolis that guarantees cash for customers’ collections, making it the ideal spot to sell those old action figures and other collectibles taking up space.

“People can load their stuff up and drop

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their collection by to us or bring it in, and on the spot we can look the stuff up with them and kind of show them what the stuff’s worth,” Schott says. “Then we make them an offer based on what we’re willing to pay for it, which is better than anywhere that I can think of.”

Knowing how much of a struggle researching, pricing and selling can be, the staff endeavors to make the process as painless as possible. This dedication to customer service has even seen the staff of The Toy Pit helping to clean out apartments or attics just to assist someone in selling a collection. While this is not officially a service the staff provides, it does illustrate the commitment The Toy Pit team has to helping customers.

Never sitting still, staff is always looking for fresh and exciting ways to get customers excited. It hosts parking lot sales in the summer, as well as a variety of deals and promotions throughout the year. It has even

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had celebrity appearances in the store, such as WWE wrestling champion Mick “Mankind” Foley. Schott and the staff continue to work tirelessly towards the ultimate goal of growing the store and the business in general.

For Hoosiers, memorabilia collectors and anyone who wants to sell their items at fair

and honest prices, The Toy Pit has become a staple of the city, and it isn’t going anywhere.

As the world continues to move towards online shopping and customer service becomes more automated, stores such as this have become something of a rarity. The sterling reputation that The Toy Pit enjoys is

well-earned and is reminiscent of days gone by. That might be for the best, as the staff is very well-versed in everything vintage.

If you would like more information about The Toy Pit, visit yourtoypit.com, call 317703-8697, or visit the store at 9402 Uptown Drive, Suite 1700 in Indianapolis.

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River Relief FRIENDS OF THE WHITE RIVER SEEKS TO PRESERVE INDIANA’S PRECIOUS NATURAL RESOURCE Writer & Photographer / Daniel Woody

A

few years ago, I bought my first kayak. I had rented kayaks enough in the past to know that having my own would be worth it. However, at the time I didn’t realize how much of an impact that decision would have. With my own kayak, new areas of our local waterways opened up to me for exploration. I was amazed with the natural beauty I discovered along the White River, and the creeks that fed it, near my home in Indianapolis. It also became painfully clear that parts of the

river needed some help.

Fast-forward to earlier this year, and a friend told me about a river cleanup event hosted by Friends of the White River.

This sounded like a perfect opportunity to volunteer and give back to the river I had come to love. I showed up to a group of over 100 volunteers and we cleaned numerous areas along the river in downtown Indianapolis. It was incredible. For the first time, I was introduced to the larger river community and

the organizations involved in protecting Indy’s primary natural resource.

I had no idea the White River had so many “friends,” but I immediately felt like my own friend network had exploded. Friends of the White River hosted numerous events throughout the year such as river cleanups, Stream Steward workshops for riparian landowners, River School raft trips, and a Water Connection Camp for Indy’s youth. I volunteered at as many as I could,

but the cleanup events were where I felt everyone’s passion for preserving and protecting the White River the most.

Friends of the White River offered three cleanup events in 2023, and removed over 50 tons of illegally dumped solid waste. They didn’t do that alone, though. They’ve partnered with the Indianapolis Department of Public Works, Citizens Energy Group, and Frank’s Livery throughout the year, but that level of waste removal would never have been possible

without all the volunteers who showed up to help. As someone who loves the river, I’d like to thank everyone who volunteered, and I’d like to encourage others to get involved going forward.

There will be numerous opportunities to get involved as we move into 2024. The easiest way to make a difference would be to become a member of Friends of the White River.

You can join and make a taxdeductible donation online at

friendsofwhiteriver.org.

Your memberships and donations help support their volunteer events, educational programming, and their advocacy for public policy decisions that improve water quality in, and recreational access to, the White River.

Whether you decide to become a member or not, you’re always welcome to volunteer. To stay informed about volunteer opportunities, please visit the official website.

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