Artist Mollie Young, a Cape Girardeau native, has made a name for herself in recent years.

Her art, particularly her hand lettering and calligraphy, has been noticed at national competitions, local sales and her Etsy shop.

She found inspiration in the work of Carrie Tracy, former owner of Bloom, who encouraged her to hone her skills for calligraphy and other decorative creations.

And now she's opened her own boutique in Cape Girardeau: Mollie Paperie, located on Broadway, in the former Bloom storefront.

The move to brick-and-mortar was a quick one. Bloom shut its doors in November, when owner Michaelyn Ross decided to focus on her growing family. Young immediately set to work, enlisting the help of family and friends to make the space her own before its doors opened Dec. 10.

The shop is divided into three sections. In the front is a boutique filled with Young's work and other artists'. Young's calligraphy is seen throughout the shop alongside jewelry, candles and other home-decor items.

"I really love supporting artists, so some of the lines are from Etsy," Young said.

The home furnishings on the showroom floor are from her partners at Southfork Lighting.

"I'm going to do a lot of work with them," she said.

Beyond the showroom is a meeting space for clients interested in personalized stationery, which was where Young got her start. From wedding invitations to business cards, Young provides a variety of options for customers seeking customized paper.

"It really is a custom design studio as far as paper products," Young said.

In the back is a room for the weekly classes Young plans to hold in January. Painting parties, crafting classes and hand-lettering workshops are on tap as upcoming events. Young recently held a lettering workshop at the Cape Girardeau Public Library and plans to do so again, in addition to classes in her studio.

Attendance at her first class at the library exceeded her expectations, she said.

"I was expecting 10 people, and there were 50," Young said. "It was fun."

The inaugural days of Mollie Paperie have been busy. As people walked in and out of the shop, and Young talked about her goals for the store, she also spoke of her need to reorder a variety of items that had dwindling stock because of their popularity.

"A lot of our lines have gone over really well," Young said. "I'm glad those artists are able to flourish."

Through the holidays, Mollie Paperie is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Regular hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

Bloom storefront will resurface

Though Bloom Studio & Gifts closed in November and a new store opened in the vacant space, the shop is not gone forever.

Jocelyn Anderson, merchandising and product development manager at RM COCO, has purchased the business and is seeking a storefront for her new venture.

No stranger to the design industry, Anderson said she looks forward to bringing her spin to what the previous owners of the boutique had established. She said fans of Bloom can expect the same bright, fun and trendy atmosphere and merchandise customers have known.

Anderson expects to have her new store open in the spring.

Local farmers offer products online

Locals who are looking for a farmers-market fix in the winter months have a new option: Cape Locally Grown, an online farmers market featuring many of the local growers and vendors found at the markets in Cape Girardeau.

Orders can be placed online at cape.locallygrown.net between Tuesday and Thursday each week. The orders will be available for pickup at the Cape Riverfront Market lot, 35 S. Spanish St., in downtown Cape Girardeau from 10 to 11 a.m. Saturday.

Notre Dame grad achieves rare level

Will Kinder

Will Kinder, a 2012 Notre Dame Regional High School graduate employed with Valeo Financial Advisors in Indianapolis, recently passed the Certified Financial Planner examination, making him one of the few -- less than 4 percent -- younger than 30 who hold this certification.

Community Counseling gets accreditation

The Community Counseling Center has received three-year accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Services International, or CARF, the highest level of accreditation that can be given to an organization.

This is the fifth consecutive three-year CARF accreditation awarded to the CCC.

"By achieving these accreditations, CCC has demonstrated that it meets international standards for quality and is committed to pursuing excellence," CCC CEO John Hudak said in a news release.

CCC and five of its new programs -- Cottonwood Residential, Cottonwood Day Treatment, Dual Diagnosis Adult and Children, Healthcare Home Children and Clustered Apartments -- underwent an on-site three-day review. CCC was reviewed against 2,052 standards and was found 99 percent in compliance.

Hudak expressed pride in the Center's programs and staff.

"Accreditation is more than a certificate in the lobby. It is about employees and the fine quality of their work which, ultimately, comes down to our clients," Hudak said in the release. "When we look at how far they have come in their treatment, then we can look how far they can go."

Business licenses

• Practico LLC, 338 Broadway #503, is a medical-practice consulting business owned by Laura Holmes. The anticipated opening is Jan. 1.
• SEMO Tropical and Reef, 97 N. Kingshighway, Suite 7, is an aquarium, livestock and supply store owned by William Gray and Kelly Cole. The anticipated opening was Dec. 16, but it has been delayed, according to the company's Facebook page.
• Ownership of Cape West 14 Cine, 247 Siemers Drive, is changing hands. P-Corn Acquisitions Missouri Corp., an affiliate of the Marcus Corp., is taking ownership from Wehrenberg Inc. The sale of the theater complex was expected to close in mid-December.
• Midwest Cash, 2112 Broadway, is a secondhand retail and pawnbroking business owned by Barry Cupp. The anticipated opening is Jan. 1.

bbrown@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3630

Pertinent address:

2121 Broadway St, Cape Girardeau, MO