About Us

How a small-town legend found a home at Poindexter

If you’ve ever stepped inside Poindexter, you’ve probably noticed the shelves lined with colorful, quirky cookie jars. They’re hard to miss. Our most asked question is why we have them in the first place. Get ready for a little history lesson.

The collection is a nod to Grannie’s Cookie Jars & Ice Cream Parlor in Metamora, a small canal town in southeastern Indiana about two hours from Bloomington. The beloved shop, started by Eva “Grannie” Fuchs, is home to more than 3,000 cookie jars, enough to earn attention from the Guinness World Records team and plenty of local legends. Inside, ice cream is served beside shelves of whimsical jars shaped like everything from cartoon characters to cows.

We’ve brought a little of that magic to Poindexter. Each jar you see here is a tribute to Grannie’s joyful spirit and Indiana’s knack for turning everyday things into something worth talking about.

Our second most asked question? “Did you steal her record?” Not even close, but we’re flattered you asked. Our collection tops out at just over 200 cookie jars, which is about 6 percent of Grannie’s legendary lineup, but it’s packed with just as much heart and Hoosier pride.

So... what exactly is a Poindexter?

Merriam-Webster defines a Poindexter as “a person with intellectual or academic interests or pretensions.” Around here, we wear that as a badge of honor.

Our namesake nods to the campus spirit that fuels Bloomington: the late-night study sessions, the caffeine-fueled brainstorms, and the post-exam celebrations. Poindexter is where coffee and cocktails meet conversation, where notes and napkins share the same table, and where it’s perfectly acceptable to be both studious and social.