Maker Stories

The Ohio maker movement has expanded into Cleveland’s deep west side where a dynamic family is redefining the retail experience. With a background in styling homes and interior design, Ashley Barnett curates an inspiring and accessible collection of home artifacts with her mother, Sheri Seroka. Textiles, pottery, plants and more are all mindfully presented on handcrafted furniture — some made by Kyle Barnett, Ashley’s husband.

Cleveland artist Susie Frazier created the Maker Town app to help consumers find art-related businesses, boutiques and galleries.

Cabinets single handedly saved our business. They’re manufactured more efficiently, have a scalable process and are in more demand than custom furniture. We started doing built-ins, kitchens, bathroom vanities, etc and it took off. So much so that we hired 3 awesome guys and felt the pressure of growing too quickly.

Weekly pop-up and mobile app bring commerce opportunities and regional advocacy to local arts businesses.

Being an entrepreneur takes courage and perseverance. Anyone who’s been in business for a while will tell you the reason they’re still around is because they pushed themselves to keep learning and evolving along the way. In celebration of the determination found within the Maker Movement and Black History Month, we’d like to recognize six standout businesses in Northeast Ohio who have caught our attention. At the core, they know WHY they do what they do and WHAT their brand represents to their customers. The Maker Town™ app is proud to feature the following businesses within our interactive mobile directory:

It’s make-or-break time for hundreds of local businesses, whose sales margins have sunk in 2020. But finding local makers, artisans and galleries, and browsing their goods, has never been easier in Greater Cleveland. The Maker Town App puts over 500 of them at your fingertips.