Jeannie Kaplan, Owner of Artifacts Tell us a little bit about your story and why you chose Broad Ripple Village to be the home of your business. My mom and her friend that started Artifacts were from the east coast, so they were new to town and figuring things out. At that time, Broad Ripple was more of a daytime shopping area – more practical options – and they saw it as a pedestrian-friendly area. Handy Hardware used to be in our current location, so when they were leaving my mom decided to take the spot. How many years have you been located in Broad Ripple Village? Artifacts first opened in 1977 over on Carrollton, then we moved to our current location on Guilford in 1980. We are celebrating 40 years! How would you describe your business, and why should people visit you? From the get-go the idea behind the business was to promote and highlight American craftspeople. The goal has simply been to promote artwork made in America, and it still is. Approximately 90% of things for sale in Artifacts are made in the US and Canada, including local products. There are some artists that we’ve been carrying and working with for at least 30 years. We are always looking for the best nationally and working to bring it to Indianapolis. Can you share with us an experience you had with a program, initiative, or interaction with the Broad Ripple Village Association that could help others understand the BRVA’s impact or mission? There’s a variety of businesses in Broad Ripple, and it’s helpful to have a unifying group – the BRVA – working for everybody. Especially with all the attention to development downtown, it’s important to have someone speaking up for the community. Artifacts is mostly involved with the Broad Ripple Art Walks. It’s a long tradition for us since my mom was one of the founding members, so we’ve been a participant since the beginning. What is your favorite thing about the Village? How about place to eat? Shop? Place to go? My favorite thing about the Village is the eclectic mix of people who come here. There are out-of-towners, high school kids, people meeting family members; it’s just such an eclectic mix of customers that walk through the door. I like to eat at La Chinita Poblana and Brugge. I’ve been shopping at Good Earth since I was a kid, so that’s definitely a favorite of mine. What excites you about the future of Broad Ripple? I think that it feels that we’re on the edge of a lot of change, especially for daytime Broad Ripple. What we hear from customers is that they’d like more daytime places open here, so hopefully some creative entrepreneurs come to the area. I’m hopeful and excited about the changes on the horizon! 
Visit Artifacts at 6327 Guilford Ave or online at www.artifactsindy.com. Interested in joining or supporting the Broad Ripple Village Association? Click here!
