CINCINNATI — It’s tough to find that “just right” gift for a friend, especially if you want something locally made. That’s why Ashley Morgan decided to solve that problem by creating a resource for others to find those local products we’ve all been searching for.
What You Need To Know
- Ashley Morgan started her jewelry business Naturally Nati Clay Co. earlier this year
- But Morgan found it difficult to find other local goods and ways to sell hers other than Etsy
- Morgan created Cincy Mom Made, an online resource sharing local goods and services
- Local businesses can submit their information to be listed on the webpage
Crafting isn’t new to Ashley Morgan.
“I’ve always like enjoyed doing crafts,” she said.
But making jewelry is a new hobby. The assistant high school principal found herself with a lot of free time this winter when she and her family had COVID, which got her into making Bengals earrings, and it took off.
“Over 100 pairs of those sold,” Morgan said. “So then I was like what else can I do? So I started following like all these little groups on Facebook and Instagram and stuff. It was just really fun.”
Morgan has branched out, hand-painting earrings and doing all sorts of shapes and requests. But when it came time to sell her goods, this mom of two found it to be more difficult.
“I started reading more about it and I just feel like Etsy just with shipping and all the rules and how much money they take wasn’t the way to go,” she said. “So I prefer to sell local. And then I thought how great it would be if other people who make items you could easily find something.”
Which is where Cincy Mom Made came in—an online resource that lists local goods and services all in one place by category.
“Personalized gifts and then you can click on different websites and you can kind of go through and see what’s available,” she said.
Local entrepreneurs can easily submit a form to be on the webpage. Just two weeks in, Morgan already had 80 businesses online. She said she’s so impressed with the local talent and hopes to showcase even more.
“I think people are excited and hopefully will use it as a resource,” she said.
