Generations of style: Shana Diekhoff in a Handloom blouse and wrap, Flying Monkey jeans, and a vintage leather belt; Mary Ellen Kerber in a Cobblestone vest and a Nusantara tunic; Amanda Calvert in a Cobblestone duster and a Nusantara tunic.
BY MOLLLY BRUSH
PHOTOGRAPHY BY RICHARDSON STUDIO
Customers of Bloomington boutique Lola + Company know if something is for sale in the store, it has owner Lisa Orme Richardson’s stamp of approval. “It’s very curated; it’s very me,” Richardson says of the shop she opened 12 years ago. “If it’s on my store floor, it’s something I’ve handpicked.”
Richardson describes Lola + Company as “a fun, lifestyle store.” Located at 118 S. College, just south of the downtown Square, the shop carries new and vintage clothing, jewelry, furnishings, home décor, and gifts. “We just like pretty things,” she says.
Clothing is always one of Lola + Company’s top sellers, according to Richardson. She aspires to offer apparel that a wide age range of shoppers—from college students to their mothers and grandmothers—find appealing. She says that means nothing too trendy or too traditional.
“We tend to stay with pretty basic cuts—nothing that’s going to seem old, nothing that’s going to seem young,” Richardson says. Most pieces feature soft, muted colors, and there are few patterns or prints. Popular brands include Cobblestone, Cut Loose, Flying Monkey, Handloom, Nusantara, and Tempo Paris.
The store rarely carries pieces that cost more than $100; most are less than $50. “We’re extremely price conscious,” Richardson says. Lola + Company also sells shoes, handbags, and jewelry. All of the jewelry is handcrafted; much of it is made in-house from vintage materials, such as antique religious medallions or Georgian-era cut-steel shoe buckles.
Richardson goes on monthly buying trips around the country to seek out new and unusual finds. Because the merchandise changes frequently, “the store is different almost every day,” she says.
