A boutique owner won the Starke Tank Countywide Business Pitch Competition.
The Starke County Economic Development Foundation and Starke County government staged the annual contest, which is meant to spur entrepreneurship in the community.
Irelynd Fornelli, the owner of Irelynd Alexis Boutique in downtown Knox, won Starke Tank’s $12,000 grand prize.
She is a Knox High School graduate who launched her retail shop at 7 N. Main St. last August. She sells women’s, men’s and children’s clothes.
Fornelli aspired to open the store since her freshman year of high school. She worked multiple part-time jobs, including as a paraprofessional in the Knox Community School Corp., to raise the funds. She acquired inventory over time, building up a loyal base of customers.
Irelynd Alexis Boutique has developed a robust online business, including a customer from Tennessee who came to shop there in person while visiting Peru, Indiana.
People are also reading…
“I love meeting my customers, and I encourage them to stop into other downtown businesses like Rabbit Coffee Roasting Co. and Papa Farm Pizza,” Fornelli said. “We have a great, supportive community, and I want to give people a place to shop locally for clothes and gifts.”
Local outdoorsman Dalton Tunis, who founded Bone Boss Game Calls, was the first runner-up, taking home the $6,000 prize.
Tunis long wanted to turn a lifelong love of hunting into a business. After some experimentation and tinkering, he started selling handcrafted and personalized hunting calls fashioned from Indiana walnut wood. Among is products are a deer grunt call and a glass turkey pot call that’s used to mimic the sound of a hen to lure a turkey into range.
He plans to use the grant to buy a CNC machine to increase production and to establish a website for online orders.
Other contestants included the wellness studio Renew U, Quicks Car Service, Grand Central Grocery and Grand Central Perk Express, County Line Hobbies, Maggie Lu’s Market, Papa Farm Pizza, Indiana Feeder Factory and Hard Knox Gym.
“We had a fantastic group of contestants this year,” SCEDF Executive Director Lisa Dan said. “Our judges had their work cut out for them.”
Winners were selected by a panel comprised of Lorri Feldt from the Northwest Indiana Small Business Development Center, Chelsea Smith from 1st Source Bank and Jason Allen Williams from the Society of Innovators at Purdue Northwest.
Businesses, utilities and local governments contributed the prize money.
“Starke County is a wonderful, supportive community,” Dan said. “Our existing businesses understand that by helping other entrepreneurs to succeed it benefits them as well.”
Attendees to the awards ceremony brought donations of food and toiletries that the Community Services of Starke County Food Pantry uses to help neighbors in need.
“The community responded in a big way to that request as well,” Dan said. “We appreciate everyone’s generosity and are looking forward an even bigger Starke Tank next year.”
NWI Business Ins and Outs: IV vitamin therapy bar, El Salto, Buffalo Wild Wings, Chick-fil-A and Basecamp Fitness opening
Coming
Open
Returning soon
Open
Open
Open
Second location
Coming soon
The business news you need
Get the latest local business news delivered FREE to your inbox weekly.
Meghan and Prince Harry, right, accompany Prince William and Catherine to view tributes still left by the public to the late Queen Elizabeth II, outside Windsor Castle in England on Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022. (Mary Turner/The New York Occasions) LONDON — All Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, did was place […]
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
Cookie
Duration
Description
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional
11 months
The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy
11 months
The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.