There’s tragedy and hope behind the name of Baldwin City’s newest business, Revive Studio 1025.

Veronica Powell, the owner of the business at 914 Ames St., said Oct. 25 was the birthday of a son who died in a 2014 fatal vehicle accident in western Kansas. The “Revive” part of the name reflects the new life she found after the loss.

“I picked up a paintbrush again,” she said. “My husband said he didn’t know I was an artist, because I hadn’t done any painting since we were married.”

The studio, which opened Feb. 22, grew from that rediscovery and is a departure from the antiques store she and her husband, Michael, owned in Ottawa, Powell said. Samples of her paintings now hang from its east and west walls, while those of a rotating featured artist are displayed on the north wall. Her goal is to share the peace and purpose she found in art with others.

“We call ourselves a studio,” she said. “We want to make art accessible to everyone.”

Revive does that through workshops on art journals, Bible journals and paint-and-wine gatherings. Powell uses the word “workshop” instead of class to emphasis the relaxed, stress-free atmosphere of the gatherings.

“It’s just like written journals except you are recording your experiences through art,” she said. “We are a place for people to come and be creative.”

Revive also has soap, chocolate and other handmade items for sale, which are produced by local artisans, as well as antiques and refurbished furniture.

“That’s my husband,” she said. “He can’t get away from antiques.”

___

Main Street Eudora has embraced yoga, or at least that’s the opinion of Eudora Yoga Center owner Mary Kirkendoll.

The center Kirkendoll opened last August at 706 Main St. has been well received, a development that seems to surprise its owner.

“I tried to go in with no expectations,” she said. “It seemed like a terrible business model. I wrote a business plan. I kind of made it up. I go and teach, and people like it.”

A Kansas University graduate and longtime yoga practitioner, Kirkendoll moved back to the area with the thought of opening a yoga center, only to find the Lawrence market saturated. She then took a drive to Eudora and fell in love with the community and downtown. Kirkendoll said she also found the downtown business community very supportive, and was fortunate to connect with someone who was about to close her business at 706 Main St.

“It’s slowly building,” she said of the center. “The students we have enrolled are serious about learning yoga. That’s important to me.”

She practices ashtanga vinyasa yoga, which “takes things to the edge,” Kirkendoll said. A list of the full range of classes and workshops offered can be found at eudorayogacenter.com. There are beginner classes and those for the more experienced.

“A full session is an hour and a half,” she said. “It’s really strenuous. It takes time to work up to that, so most people start with the introductory class.”

The center just added workshops that reflect her interest in Zen Buddhism. A Lawrence Zen master will help with the classes, which combine sitting Zen meditation with yoga postures, Kirkendoll said.

She said she has multiple testimonials about how her yoga classes have helped people with chronic back and hip problems, the aches and pains of aging and stress relief. Her experience in Eudora has been transformational for her, too.

“Seven months ago if you would have asked me my profession, I would have said a musician who did yoga on the side,” she said. “Now, that has swapped.”

___

Those residents of the Eudora Township Fire Department living within 5 miles of the fire station at 310 E. 20th St. could see their homeowner insurance rates drop. Eudora Township Fire Chief Duke Verhelst said the department recently received an upgraded rating that improved its ISO score from 10 to 5. Insurance companies consider ISO ratings when figuring premium rates.

“That’s a very big improvement,” Verhelst said. “It considers how the station is manned, the type of equipment the township board allows us to buy, our training and our mutual aid agreements.”

Township homeowners within 5 miles of the station should notify their insurance carrier of the ISO change to get improved rates, Verhelst said. He knew of one department volunteer who learned he would save almost $500 a year on his homeowner’s policy, the chief said.