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Valley makers support their crafts, each other
By Kalea Hall
CANFIELD
Melissa Smith pours 100 candles a day for her candle-making business.
Jamie Jamison makes her photography creative.
Jessica Sprowl gives people a taste of the gluten-free, vegan life.
For local artisans, it’s about believing in their product, believing in their craft and having guts.
It takes guts to put a homemade product out there in hopes of others cherishing it as a treasure, but for these makers it’s worth every trial and error.
“You have to be brave,” Jamison said. “The biggest compliment is someone saying they put my artwork on their mantel.”
As the customers at the Rust Belt Made Makers Market on Sunday will see, there’s a slew of local risk-takers with talent that’s benefiting the economy and putting the Mahoning Valley on the map.
“It’s the best of the Rust Belt,” said Jamison, owner of ala Jamie, a mixed-media art company.
Jamison’s still-life photos printed on metal are just one of the homemade products that will be on display and for sale from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Stone Fruit Coffee Co., 410 W. Main St.
This is the second Maker Market the Rust Belt Made group has sponsored this year. A few local makers saw the need to have one in this area.
Smith, owner of 1820 House Candle Co. in East Palestine, was creating her Rust Belt line of candles when she decided she needed a local showcase for Rust Belt natives to feel – and smell – the connection to the collection of vegetable/soy wax with essential oils.
Smith called Jamison, and the rest is history. The two quickly came up with a list of makers they knew, and Stone Fruit, another local company, offered the space for the outdoor market. The market was so successful for those involved it had to be repeated.
“I think the cool thing is the collaboration we have,” Jamison said.
A new addition to the maker event is Jessica Sprowl and her vegan and gluten-free cupcakes. She was encouraged by Jamison and Smith to take on the business because her cupcakes are that good.
Now, she is debuting them to the world at the maker event. She went with the name Messie Jessie’s Whimsical Bakery, and each one of her cupcakes has a mythological name such as Pegasus Pumpkin Pie.
“We are all about supporting each other,” Smith said.
The coming of Etsy.com, a website for makers to post their products, also has encouraged these artisans to put themselves and their product out there.
Some have turned their hobby into a full-time gig, and others do it on the side just to keep their creative juices flowing.
Smith started her business in the kitchen of her 1820 farm house 11 years ago. She grew out of the kitchen where she first made her candles and opened her East Palestine storefront in 2008.
But in the back of her mind she thought: “If this doesn’t thrive within a few years I am going to have to rethink it. It is scary to dive in.”
She had the product, and she worked to get the branding down – a step, she says, that is very important.
“You have to have your identity and branding on target,” Smith said.
Having a plan before starting a small business and setting small goals are both a must.
Jamison started ala Jamie six years ago because she wanted to do something new with her photography. Today, she has her still-life photos printed on metal and then mounts them with magnets onto metal plates she designs or vintage ceiling tin tiles.
“I think sometimes people think they have to be huge when I think you can be very successful and satisfied if you stay in a small market,” Jamison said. “We are able to keep everything local. It means so much more to me in a small market.”
Sprowl developed a gluten allergy a few years back and started to explore recipes for gluten-free goodies. She also is becoming vegan and has added that element to her baking.