Huntingburg Chamber honors businesses and people dedicated to community

The Huntingburg Chamber of Commerce honored three community members and a long-time business during its annual meeting last Thursday.

Chuck and Jean Walk were honored with the chamber’s Golden Oak Leaf Award; an award given annually to an individual or group in recognition and appreciation of their services to the interest and development of the City of Huntingburg.

The Walks operated Fat & Sassy restaurant and The Stocked Pot for 25 years before closing earlier this year. In announcing the award, Chamber Executive Director Sarah Schoeder recognized the couple for their years of dedication to Huntingburg’s downtown.

“It’s been a family thing,” Chuck said about their dedication.

Jean credited her sister, Mary Heim, for having the initial vision for what Fourth Street could become. “She started Bittersweet,” Jean said. “Shortly after, my father (Rosie Rosenblatt) opened Rosie’s Deli where the Old School Cafe is now.”

Mary convinced Jean to come home from Louisville where she was working for Macy’s. When she moved back, Jean opened another store on Fourth Street, Giggleswick.

Through these businesses and their own love for the city, the family poured into Fourth Street and helped develop many of the traditional events held on the historic street today. “Mary had the original vision of what Huntingburg could be and my dad was quite the promoter, he was always trying to get people to come to Huntingburg,” Jean said adding the legacy was important to acknowledge.

Rosie sold his deli in 1993 and opened Fat & Sassy at Fourth and Jackson streets. A couple years later, The Stocked Pot, a store specializing in kitchen gear that hosted cooking classes, was added. Jean and Chuck took over both businesses soon after that and Rosie remained involved.

The Walks said they loved being on Fourth Street and that many times the merchants were like family. “When it snowed, the merchants went out and made snowmen,” Jean remembered. “We all looked out for each other and instead of competing, we complemented each other and supported each other.”

Speaking about their recent step away from the business, the couple said it was a difficult decision. “It was hard to leave but it was time for retirement,” Jean said. “We had an opportunity to sell the building and we felt like we handed it over to someone that would take care of it.”

Chuck and Jean also announced they are preparing a cookbook with the restaurant’s many recipes. It will include Rosie’s recipes as well as many of the fan favorites like bread pudding, chunky chicken salad and couscous. “So far the working title is ‘Fat & Sassy The Cookbook,'” Chuck said.

They plan on having the cookbook available in time for the Christmas season.

The Chamber recognized Touch of Class with the Business of the Year Award. The company which began in the New Hamshire basement of Carla Parke-Bell and Gary Bell in 1978 is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year.

Carla is from Oakland City and a few years after starting, she and Gary decided to move back to Indiana. They were enticed to bring their burgeoning home decor catalog company to Huntingburg by former Mayor Dale Helmerich.

These days, the company’s headquarters and warehouse are located just off of State Road 64. Their two outlet stores anchor the Fourth Street shopping district at each end.

Carla said being in Huntingburg has allowed the company to grow and expand rapidly.

“We encourage more people to move to Huntingburg and start businesses,” she told the crowd.

The Next Generation of Leadership Award, created last year in honor of Al Mihajlovits, was given to Emily Meyer, owner of The Art Factory.

Emily graduated from Southridge in 2009 and after serving in the Air Force, she returned home and studied art at the University of Southern Indiana. Emily grew up on Fourth Street where her family was also active. Emily wanted to bring her love for art to the downtown area and as a 26-year-old, she opened The Art Factory.

Her business specializes in art instruction and fun classes for groups and individuals looking for an alternative night or day out.

She also serves as president of the Huntingburg Merchants Association and is a member of the Huntingburg Entertainment Art Recreation Team (HEART). HEART is a Destination Huntingburg committee focused on bringing more arts and cultural activities to the city.

The keynote speaker at the event was Cedar Crest Elementary Teacher Lee Bilderbeck. Lee is also a historian. He gave the crowd an account of the founding of Dubois County from its very early years. Lee brought to life some of the colorful characters who helped form Dubois County in honor of the county’s 200th anniversary celebration this year.

The chamber noted a few of its accomplishments including incorporating the Huntingburg Merchants group into the organization as a committee as well as forming a partnership with the Ferdinand Chamber to further enhance the area’s business climate through classes and networking events.