CLEVELAND — At Made Cleveland, shoppers can find a variety of items made by local creatives.
This department-like store that highlights and supports various local businesses is a concept that Made Cleveland Founder Ash O’Conner started online in the spring of 2020.
“I was trying to find ways to shop online and shop local, and I found it very difficult because there wasn’t a central location for that type of concept,” O’Conner said.
At the height of the coronavirus pandemic, Made Cleveland’s online collective was a platform for more than 100 local business owners and creatives.
“There are so many legacy creators here that you can find pretty consistently at makers markets that were losing out on revenue, but there were also people who were getting laid off from their jobs and returning to their hobbies to try to generate the revenue that they were missing. So this type of platform was perfect for them because it really created a low barrier to entry to the marketplace. You didn’t have to develop your own personal website and try to sift through the noise and market and funnel customers. We did that in a communal way,” O’Conner said.
Made Cleveland’s in-person shopping experience, located in the heart of the Cleveland Heights Coventry neighborhood, opened in June.
“In the store, we have over 120 vendors as well, and they are not always the same. We do have some overlap between what you can find in store and online, but there are definitely unique offerings in both locations,” O’Conner said.
Each business and entrepreneur represented pays Made Cleveland a $5 membership fee and gives the company 10% of their sales.
O’Conner said marketing, shelf space and community-shopper engagement is left up to her and the Made Cleveland team. She said she plans to expand their online community to other major cities in Ohio, such as Columbus, Cincinnati and Toledo.
“The goal being you can make it as easy as possible to support your neighbor and shop local,” O’Conner said.
