[0:00] (gentle music) [0:01] - I've always been interested in art. [0:03] The decision to like officially call myself an artist, [0:07] has come in fits and spurts. [0:09] I'm Jamie Schumacher Kalakaru-Mava. [0:11] I am an artist, author, and mom living in Bloomington. [0:14] - I've never had a boring life. [0:16] I love costumes, you know. It's a big part of it. [0:19] So my name is Riet Velthuisen van der Blij, [0:21] and I'm the founder and director [0:24] of the Continental Ballet Company for 35 years. [0:28] - Perk Up Kitchen is a place for the community to gather, [0:31] meet friends and family, and enjoy a unique homemade meal. [0:34] We also own West Side Perk Coffee Shop. [0:37] I think that we fell in love with the community. [0:40] We were able to build a really great clientele [0:43] of people at the coffee shop. [0:44] - Being raised by my grandmother, [0:46] she was all about making sure I know my family [0:49] and know my friends, but also know my history. [0:51] My name is Chris Peterson. [0:52] I work at Normandale Community College [0:54] in the campus store bookstore area. [0:55] So I wanted to give the students the opportunity [0:57] to learn a little bit of history, [0:58] whether it's Hispanic Heritage Month [1:00] or Black History Month, to do a pop-up museum. [1:02] - This was my dream from when I was a little [1:04] to open an arcade place. [1:06] I love claw machines. [1:08] I love everything that I have into this place. [1:11] I'm Andrew Tan. I'm a co-owner of ClawZone Park. [1:14] It's our first business that we actually opened. [1:16] - So this is my most recent book. [1:18] It's a children's book. It's called "Half a World Away." [1:21] I wrote it and did the illustration. [1:22] I received a LOFT Fellowship. [1:24] They have a really great program for children's literature, [1:27] which is meant to encourage more diversity [1:29] in children's literature. [1:30] I'm really lucky to get to serve [1:31] on Bloomington's Creative Placemaking Commission. [1:34] We've got a really great commission here. [1:35] - [Riet] I was born in Rijswijk in Holland. [1:38] One of my friends took me to a studio. [1:40] Right away, I knew I was going to do that. I loved it. [1:43] There is not a classic company [1:46] who brings all the classic pieces like "Swan Lake," [1:49] "The Sleeping Beauty." [1:50] Bloomington is so lucky to have the Company. [1:52] Not about me, but about the company. [1:54] We have professional, beautiful dancers. [1:57] - Most of our staff they're our Bloomington residents, [2:00] so we just really love the people [2:03] and knew that they would be supportive of us [2:05] coming in this new venture here. [2:07] We are a family-owned local business, [2:09] and we appreciate the support from the community. [2:12] - [Chris] When I hear stuff that they didn't know, [2:14] it just gives me an opportunity [2:15] to see what I'm gonna do next year. [2:16] I think that's one of the big importance of me trying to do […