Friday, April 9, 2010

Boca Loca Closes, Fuego Loco Opens

While I was gone, the big news in Indy adult education was the closing of Boca Loca Beads. Owner Jari Sheese walked away from her Fountain Square institution and, along with several other creative women, opened Fuego Loco Studio -- where the focus is on classes rather than retail sales.

At the moment, Fuego Loco is offering several lampworking classes, including a $60 "Intro to Lampworking" option. I assume that co-owner Bonnie Ramirez, aka The Torch Queen, will also be offering welding classes, but I don't see them listed on the site yet.

Meanwhile, the former Boca Loca site is now Heirloom Classics, which will continue to focus on jewelry and beads. You can even take some basic jewelry-making classes, starting at $20, such as "Wire Working 101" and "Jewelry Making 101."

So, now we have two educational venues instead of one, which is good. On the other hand, Jari's bead shop is gone, which is bad. But don't despair: You can still buy her beautiful work on Etsy, possibly the Web's best home for independent artisans.

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