Video by Michelle Kaufman//NewsLink Indiana
Out of all the businesses in Muncie, you won't find another like Olive and Slate. Walking into the door, you're greeted by the smell of flowers, pop music playing in the background and a room full of eclectic items.
Ranging from gifts to home decor, the store is full of knick-knacks and accessories to sift through until you find something that is uniquely for you, kind of like hunting for buried treasure.
Owned by Sean Hale and his wife Heidi, Olive and Slate is a newly opened store in downtown Muncie. The couple created the name by simply combining their favorite colors together.
The Hales, who have been been married for 22 years and have three children, have also owned HeidiJHale Designs and Details, located across the street, for three years.
Open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. every weekday, there is something for everyone inside. Muncie residents consider the store Olive and Slate a hidden treasure itself. One of the eclectic items found in the store are fossilized sand dollars and geodes.
Jackie Johnson, Heidi's mother, is the main full-time employee at Olive and Slate and said all she has heard is praise about the new store since its opening.
"Everybody that comes in says they love it,” she said. “A lot of people say it's great because it's exactly what Muncie needed. Before, they had to go all the way into Indy to find stuff like this but now they have it here."
The store itself was created exactly for this reason.
"Heidi and I felt like this is what Muncie needed, a store that specialized in hard-to-find items,” Sean Hale said. “Before this, people had traditional things like Hobby Lobby and Michaels. We felt like our store could fill a niche here."
Besides decor that’s fit for any home or dorm room, Olive and Slate also boasts T-shirts, humorous art pieces and a personalized beer growler. In addition to providing otherwise hard-to-find items, merchandise starts at $5.
Although it was Terri Bryant's first time in the store, the Ball State employee has nothing but good things to say.
"It's only my first visit but I like what I see so far. It has unique items you can't find anywhere else,” Bryant said. “One of the things that caught my attention was the pillows. They are very different with a lot of details and college logos on them."
Olive and Slate may be new to Muncie, but it is already flourishing. The Muncie community should be sure to visit this diamond in the rough in the months — and years — to come.
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