[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 22 (Thursday, February 2, 2023)]
[House]
[Page H657]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     RECOGNIZING ISABEL BLOOM SHOP

  (Mrs. MILLER-MEEKS asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Mrs. MILLER-MEEKS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 60th 
anniversary of the Isabel Bloom shop in Davenport, Iowa, and what would 
be the 115th birthday of sculptor Isabel Bloom.
  The original Isabel Bloom was a Davenport native who attended the Art 
Institute of Chicago and the Vogue School of Fashion. She and her 
husband married in 1938 before settling in Davenport with their three 
children in the early 1940s.
  In 1963, Isabel and her husband opened a small studio in Davenport's 
East Village. Bloom received multiple awards for her ceramics but 
perfected garden art to sell in her store. Because it was sturdy and 
weather resistant, her preferred base was concrete.
  Though ownership has since changed, and the Isabel Bloom shop has 
continued to grow, the current owners, Donna Young, Cathy Nevins, and 
Bill Barrett, have stayed true to Bloom's original vision: to create 
art that brings comfort and joy to their community. As an owner of a 
few Isabel Bloom pieces myself, I can say their vision rings true.
  Congratulations to the Isabel Bloom shop. I wish them many more years 
of creativity, friendship, and success.

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