There was former BJ Features Dept. editor/columnist Connie Bloom in her 350 square foot studio as the resident quiltmaker in Summit Artspace on the third floor at 140 E. Market Street, next door to the Akron Art Museum.

Summit County Executive Russ Pry pops in.

Pry was at Summit Artspace delivering a talk to Leadership Akron interns from around the country.

Leadership Akron is a conduit between interns and established community leaders, organizations and groups to show Akron’s advantages.

Fashion note: Connie’s shirt is by James Madison University graduate Kevin Womack of KevinWomackArt on Etsy, “the place to buy custom-dyed scarves, sarongs and t-shirts,” as K’s website says.

Connie is an art quilts guru, creating fiber art that looks like paintings. She’s famous in Ohio for it. She is publisher/editor of QSDS (Quilt Service Design Symposium), a quarterly online magazine about fabric art.

The former Garfield High majorette married Bob Shields in 2008. They have been together for more than a decade. 

Her phone number is (330) 472-0161. Or you can email her at connie@conniebloom.com

Connie was part of the 2008 BJ exodus that saw more than 400 years of experience walk out the door.

It was the beginning of a decimation that reduced the BJ staff from 250 to 60 on one floor – the third – and kick-started unsuccessful attempts to rent out the first and second floors and the mezzanine to other businesses and even caused the BJ owner to see whether it was wiser to move to another, small building. But that didn’t work out.

The survivors of one of many newspaper Titanics still give it their best, despite the workload with one-fourth the apex staff.