NWI Business Ins and Outs: Clutch Bagels, Market & Maple, Hydrangea House and Gifted Hands Academy opening; La Maison and Lucy's BBQ closed (2024)

Clutch Bagels and Spreads is on a roll.

The authentic New York City-style bagel restaurant opened on 444 Lake St. in Miller, a spot that was previously home to Cafe 444 and the 444 Grill.

Tien Doman and Chris Graham, who met in Chicago while working in a restaurant together and moved to Highland when they wanted to start a family, originally launched a food truck selling hand-rolled bagels and thenopened in the Lincoln Kitchen culinary incubator in the Shell gas station at 10861 Wicker Ave. in St. John. They seized an opportunity to move to a more permanent home in Gary's Miller Beach neighborhood.

"We first saw this place when a Cajun seafood restaurant was supposed to come here when we were going to the Miller Beach Farmers' Market," Graham said. "We kept an eye for when it went on the market. It's a unique property. It's set way back with a huge courtyard and parking on the back."

Clutch Bagels seats 14 people inside and will seat more al fresco in the courtyard when the weather gets better. It caters to a to-go business but many stay to dine there, he said.

"Miller Beach is such a great community," he said. "They've been so supportive. We also had people coming in from as far away as Michigan City."

Specializing in traditional New York-style hand-rolled, boiled and baked bagels, Clutch sells 17 varieties of bagels until they sell out. It also bakes a variety of breads customers can take home, including hoagies, focaccia, English muffins and brioche buns.

"It's extremely unique. There's nothing like this, especially in Miller Beach," said Dorman, who first became enamored with bagels while cooking brunch at Deleece Restaurant in Chicago. "We limit orders to one dozen and encourage people to come in to order so they can have the full bagel shop experience. We don't want to take call-in orders because we're running 17 different flavors to keep track of and don't want to muddy everything."

Popular flavors include everything, asiago and pumpernickel.

The menu also includes bagel sandwiches like a classic bacon, egg and cheese, as well as salads and sides. It will bring back popular items customers have requested like smoked baloney sandwiches and sticky buns.

It has a number of options and plans to bring back soups and chili, and may bring back its Clutch pizza pop-up concept occasionally serving dinner in the evenings.

"We're told the traffic picks up a lot when people go to the beach in the summer," Graham said. "We'll increase our bagel numbers. Our menu is convenient and clutchable, ba dum tss, to take to the beach. You can pack it up. Come early to have the widest selection of bagels so you don't get peeved if you can't get anything. There's nothing like it in this area if you're into bagels. We've got good ones."

The reception was positive the first week.

"I thought I lived in a place where I understood what community was," he said. "Miller Beach takes it to another level with community. It's really cool and really exciting."

Clutch Bagels is open form 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily.

For more information, call 219-218-7062, visit www.clutchfoodtruck.com or find the business on Facebook.

Open

Maple & Market is now serving up breakfast and brunch in Dyer.

The restaurant at 1103 Joliet St. offers dine-in, outdoor seating and takeout in the former Benedict's spot.

It offers food that's "Really Good. Really Simple. Really Fresh." The breakfast menu includes eggs, avocado toast, omelets, harvest bowls, benedicts, croissant sammys, biscuits and gravy, pancakes and French toast. The Honey Butter Birdie consists of two eggs and a fried, breaded chicken breast with Michigan honey butter on French toast.

The menu consists of salads, soups and sandwiches like a BLT Club, Turkey O'Tool, Cali Club Wrap and Beef Eater that includes braised beef, mozzarella, peppers and onions and grilled sourdough bread.

Open

The Hydrangea House boutique is now selling home decor, garden decor and gifts in downtown Hobart.

The real estate agent Sue King, who previously ran a resale shop in town, opened the home goods store and gift shop at 220 Main St.

"We are a unique boutique with one-of-a-kind finds at affordable price points," King said.

Hydrangea Housetook over the original Green Door Books location after the bookstore moved down the street.

"They're building up the downtown," King said. "I've lived here for a while and love the lakefront. Hobart is really starting to come into its own. It's a good location on the lakefront by the post office. There's a lot of visibility and traffic."

The store celebrated a ribbon cutting with the Hobart Chamber of Commerce Saturday.

"Home and decor are my passion," King said. "I help clients redo their houses. As a Realtor, I stage a lot of homes."

King, who previously owned Fantastic Finds in Hobart, is friends with the owner of the nearby Wild Wood's, A Gathering Place banquet hall and said her shop would be a good place to pick up gifts for bridal showers there. She also thinks it would be a good stop for closing gifts for Realtors.

The Hydrangea House sells home decor, kitchenware, books, garden decor, candles, soaps and lotions. It also stocks artisan products like stained glass jewelry, pottery and pictures made with beach glass and driftwood.

"All the vendors are from Hobart," she said. "We also have live plants. I love hydrangeas, which is where the name comes from."

The selection in the 1,200-square-foot store is highly curated. It stocks a lot of French cottage décor.

"It's not farmhouse chic and it's not midcentury modern," King said. "It's more eclectic with vintage display pieces and other curated items. We have a lot of unique items that are constantly changing. When it's gone it will be something else."

It carries many items that would be ideal gifts for birthdays, anniversaries and occasions like Mother's Day like candles, seed packets, soaps and lotions, she said.

"I hope to grow into a bigger space so we can have bigger furniture pieces," King said.

The shop drew inspiration from Birds Gotta Fly in Elkhart and The Found Cottage in Michigan.

"There's nothing else like it around," she said. "People have come in and said Hobart needs this so bad."

The store offers Annie Sloan paint and is planning to offer events such as on painting and floral arrangements. She hopes it will be a destination.

"We'll have a variety of things you can decorate your home with that you can't find at Target or Walmart," she said. "We'll have ever-changing quality products. Lake people especially could use it to decorate their lake houses. We have a lot of kitchen items like charcuterie boards."

Hydrangea House is open from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday, from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday.

Closing

La Maison has been having a liquidation sale in downtown Valparaiso.

The home decor, gift shop and interior design store at 153 Lincolnway is moving to California so the owner can be closer to family.

"After 22 years in our Valparaiso, IN location, we’ve made the decision to move closer to family," the business posted on Facebook. "Thank you for the amazing time we’ve spent together. We cherish the business you’ve given us and the friendships we’ve made along the way. We Love you all. You can visit us in The Redlands, CA or visit us at LaMaisonRedlands.com."

The store sold home accessories,antiques, art,candles, natural soaps, French soaps, Garnier Thiebaut French linens, Bella Notte bedding, blankets, cardigans and gifts for women and children.

Closed

Lucy's BBQ, which offered authentic Austin, Texas-style barbecue in Lowell.

The barbecue joint sold brisket, brisket burgers, ribs and other slow-cooked barbecue at the former Mason Jar spot at 241 Liberty St. in Lowell.

ChefNick Kleutsch is planning a new venture.

"Lucy's was created out of love and passion for Texas barbecue," Kleutsch posted on social media. "I was fortunate enough to experience some of the world's best BBQ and food alike. I wanted to bring these flavors and cuisines to NWI. I embarked on a mission to establish Lucy's, named in honor of my rescue dog. Embraced with open arms by the local community, Lucy's quickly became a beacon of authentic flavor and warm hospitality, fueled by the heartfelt recommendations of our cherished customers turned friends. Regrettably, recent challenges lead to compromises in the quality standards that have defined Lucy's journey. In light of irreconcilable differences with a partner, I must announce my departure from the restaurant. However, like a phoenix rising from the ashes, I am excited to unveil a new venture soon. I am immensely grateful to have served you and for the memories we've shared. Thank you for your unwavering support and there's new beginnings ahead. Stay tuned for what's next."

Kluetsch is a Region native who moved to Austin to play in a band and ended up learning barbecueunder Evan LeRoy of LeRoy and Lewis and Ben Lambert of the acclaimed Franklin’s BBQ. He first opened Lucy's BBQ inside Brewfest in Highland and then relocated the restaurant to Lowell when that self-serve craft beer taproom closed.

Coming soon

Quick Run is looking to open a gas station in Portage.

It filed plans with the city to build a 3,689-square-foot gas station at 3130 Willowcreek Road.

The gas station chain has locations in St. John, Olympia Fields and Lemont.

Relocated

Gifted Hands Academy moved to a new location in Hammond.

The healthcare career training academy openedat 6831 Grand Ave.

Founded in 2021 in downtown Hammond, Gifted Hands Academy offers hands-on training for anyone interested in a career in the health care field.The Allied Health School provides students with medical certifications in eight to ten weeks.

Owned by phlebotomist Tiffany Stokes, Gifted Hands Academy offers 11 phlebotomy classes and four EKG tech classes. It's continuing to grow and add new classes.

It provides students with job placement and gives scholarships to two students a year with financial need.

“We don’t want to just show our students how to be successful through class, we want to demonstrate positive ways to build a community that supports each other," Stokes said.