When you are attending a conference, one way to stay grounded is to buy some of your standard breakfast and snack items to keep in your hotel room. Or maybe your sinuses will be slammed by what is floating around in the air here in Bloomington (though we hope not!) and you need some emergency allergy medication. In either case, downtown Bloomington has you covered for grocery and pharmacy needs.
Two blocks west of the courthouse square and on the B-Line Trail is Bloomingfoods Co-op Market – Near West. Bloomingfoods is a community-owned cooperative grocery store founded in 1976. It is a full organic and natural foods grocery store and has a deli, hot and cold sandwiches, and a salad bar. It is a great place to pick up some fruit or snacks or grab a quick lunch. They have indoor and outdoor seating or take your lunch and find a set on the adjacent B-Line Trail.
The pharmacy chain CVS is ubiquitous in the Midwest—so much so that Bloomington’s east side has two locations about two blocks apart! But it is handy to have one in the middle of town, within walking distance to campus and downtown hotels. Find it at 121 East Kirkwood Avenue, just a half-block from the Graduate Hotel.
Beer, wine, and spirits may not be a necessity for you, but your closest liquor store is the Bid Red Liquors at 418 N. College Avenue. Founded in Bloomington, Big Red now has locations all over Indiana. Locally, this location is known as the “big” Big Red to distinguish it from the smaller stores around town.
If you need a full-service American grocery store, your closest option is the Kroger located at 528 S. College Avenue. Some call this the Kroletariat, or people’s Kroger, in contrast to the Krogucci, the more upscale east side store. (I forget what they call the other two Krogers…) This one is a little off the conference path but also adjacent to the B-Line Trail. Farther options, for those willing to have longer bus rides or access to cars, include the typical Walmart, Aldi, and Target stores.
Written by Rebecca Baumann, Erika Dowell, Isabel Planton, Ursula Romero, Lilly Library