A new addition to Roosevelt Row has more than profit in mind. Ben’s Bells is hoping to make a positive impact on the downtown Phoenix community with its message of kindness.
Ben’s Bells is holding a grand opening for its new studio on Roosevelt Row on Friday that will feature a speech from founder Jeanette Maré, face painting, refreshments and opportunities to meet the staff along with volunteers.
The organization allows community members to visit the studio and create bells. It also has educational programming in more than 320 schools, reaching more than 180,000 students.
Ben’s Bells first opened shop in Tucson, Arizona, after Maré’s 3-year-old son passed away. She and her friends began making bells in memory of her son and placing them around the community as a way of spreading the kindness that people showed her in her time of need.
“People came in and showed us kindness after kindness,” Maré said. “It kept us going during that time. We realized we needed everyone to be kind to us. People would hold open the door or smile and it was those small connections that were really powerful.”
The non-profit has grown exponentially in 13 years. It started off in Maré’s garage and has now expanded to four studios, spreading over 47,000 bells throughout communities. The downtown studio will join the Eye Lounge building at 419 E. Roosevelt St.
“We’re thrilled with the growth. It shows that people are really motivated to make our communities stronger through kindness,” Maré said. “However, we are very careful about how we grow so that we do not lose the integrity of our mission.”
Whenever the studio is open, people can come in and work on any part of the bell-making process as a community.
“The bell is made from the community, which can be rolling the clay, painting the bell or hanging the bell,” Ben’s Bells board member Bridget Sharpe said.
The owner of the Eye Lounge building, Greg Esser, is excited about the grand opening. He believes that the organization “provides a great opportunity for the community to get involved.”
The bells are not for sale, but there is other merchandise to buy in the studio, including shirts, necklaces, kindness coins and mini bells.
“The kindness coins are a way of saying ‘thank you for being kind,’” Sharpe said.
Sharpe and Maré are both looking forward to the grand opening and hold high hopes for the Roosevelt studio. The new location provides an opportunity for the non-profit to continue to expand its mission into the downtown community.
“We talked about expanding to Phoenix because there was so much energy there,” Maré said. “We love the feel of downtown and Roosevelt Row that has the welcoming, artsy feel that we like.”
The Ben’s Bells grand opening is Friday, Sept. 18 from 6-9 p.m.
Contact the reporter at rachel.eroh@asu.edu.
