LEAP Entrepreneurial Hub

LEAP Entrepreneurial Hub Empowering East Liverpool through innovation,entrepreneurship and community collaboration.

🛠️ MEET THE MAKER | SECOND SHIFT WORKSMeet Charlie Thayer, the maker behind Second Shift Works!Charlie describes becomin...
09/04/2026

🛠️ MEET THE MAKER | SECOND SHIFT WORKS

Meet Charlie Thayer, the maker behind Second Shift Works!

Charlie describes becoming a maker as something that happened almost by accident. He’s always been a DIYer, a tinkerer, a problem-solver, and the kind of person who can look at something and think:

“That looks cool. I can make that.”

Coming from a family of carpenters and woodworkers, Charlie has a special love for woodworking, but Second Shift Works isn’t defined by just one medium.

From wood and mixed-media pieces to unique light fixtures, custom home features, and one-of-a-kind functional creations, Charlie loves taking an idea and figuring out how to make it real.

And it’s often a team effort!

Charlie credits his wife as the visionary of the two. She can dream up the idea, and Charlie gets to tackle the challenge of bringing it to life.

For Charlie, that’s where the satisfaction comes from:

“I get a rush out of having produced something authentic, something myself.”

Charlie’s connection to the Makers Exchange goes even deeper. He had already believed our area could benefit from a place that showcases the creativity and craftsmanship that exists throughout our region. When he learned the Makers Exchange & Galleria of Fine Arts was becoming a reality, he wanted to be part of it.

We’re excited to officially welcome Second Shift Works by Charlie Thayer to the Makers Exchange & Galleria of Fine Arts!

Because sometimes the best work starts when the “first shift” ends. 🪵💡🛠️

Welcome to the Exchange, Charlie!

🌟 MAKER SPOTLIGHT: Lindangel Designs 🌟Meet Linda McKenzie, the artist and creator behind Lindangel Designs!Sometimes you...
09/03/2026

🌟 MAKER SPOTLIGHT: Lindangel Designs 🌟

Meet Linda McKenzie, the artist and creator behind Lindangel Designs!

Sometimes your path has a way of bringing you right back to where you were supposed to be.

For Linda, that path has always led back to ART. 🎨

Art has been part of Linda’s life for as long as she can remember.

💬 “When I was little, that was my thing. I would do art instead of doing homework. That was just always me.”

She even began college taking art classes, but like many aspiring artists, Linda was encouraged to choose a more “practical” career path. She changed her major and earned a business degree.

But art never really went away.

Her first job brought her right back into the creative world, working for a commercial decal company. From there, she spent 30 years with a printing company, beginning by creating architectural drawings of churches before eventually moving into pre-press management.

Linda later spent another 16 years working with Ohio Valley Outdoor Magazine.

After an entire career using her creativity and skills for other companies, retirement and a major transition in her personal life left Linda asking a new question:

What do I want to do for ME?

That question eventually brought her to LEAP Hub and our LIFTOFF entrepreneurial program.

💬 “I’ve done it for other companies all these years. Why not try to do it myself?”

Through LIFTOFF, Linda began exploring what it would actually look like to take decades of artistic and professional experience and build something of her own.

More importantly, she found the confidence to TRY.

Today, Lindangel Designs is reaching new customers and finding new opportunities, and Linda is continuing to pursue possibilities she admits she probably never would have explored before.

Now, she’s taking another step by joining us at the Makers Exchange!

Linda’s story is exactly why LEAP and the Makers Exchange exist.

Entrepreneurship doesn’t have an age limit.

Sometimes success isn’t just about how much money you make. Sometimes it’s about rediscovering what you love, finding confidence in yourself, opening doors you never thought you would walk through, and finally taking decades of experience and building something that belongs to YOU.

🎨 CREATE.
❤️ KEEP GOING.
🚀 IT’S NEVER TOO LATE TO START.

Welcome Linda McKenzie and Lindangel Designs to the Makers Exchange!

🌟 MAKER SPOTLIGHT: Hais Healing Haven LLC🌟Sometimes taking care of yourself can be as simple as lighting a candle, enjoy...
09/02/2026

🌟 MAKER SPOTLIGHT: Hais Healing Haven LLC🌟

Sometimes taking care of yourself can be as simple as lighting a candle, enjoying a favorite scent, or setting aside a few minutes that are just for YOU.

Meet Haley, one of the newest makers joining the Makers Exchange!

Haley started her small business with a simple mission: encourage people to make self-care a priority.

💬 “A lot of times we don’t take care of ourselves. When you take care of yourself, you’re putting yourself first, even if it’s just once a week.”

What started with handcrafted candles, wax melts, and soaps has continued to grow.

Today, Haley’s product line includes:

🕯️ Candles
✨ Wax melts
🧼 Soaps
🛁 Bath bombs
🏠 Room sprays
🧴 And even more self-care products in development!

But behind every product is the same message.

Take some time for yourself.

We spend so much of our lives taking care of our families, working, handling responsibilities, and doing things for everyone around us that sometimes we forget to take care of ourselves.

Hailey wants her products to serve as a small reminder that YOU matter too.

That could mean lighting a candle at the end of a long day, enjoying a bath, filling your home with a scent you love, or simply creating a moment to slow down.

We’re excited to welcome Haley and Hais Healing Haven to the Makers Exchange and give another local entrepreneur an opportunity to put her products on a retail shelf and share her story with our community!

❤️ SHOP LOCAL.
🛍️ SUPPORT LOCAL MAKERS.
✨ DISCOVER THE STORY BEHIND THE PRODUCT.

Welcome to the Makers Exchange, Hailey!

🌟 MAKER SPOTLIGHT: Faithfully Made 🌟It started with a little mustard seed of faith… and a jar of strawberry jam.Meet Bri...
09/01/2026

🌟 MAKER SPOTLIGHT: Faithfully Made 🌟

It started with a little mustard seed of faith… and a jar of strawberry jam.

Meet Brittany Ingledue, the maker behind Faithfully Made!

Brittany is a mom of three who spent much of her career working in healthcare. When health challenges within her family arose, she made a major life decision: step away from her traditional career, take a leap of faith, and focus on caring for her family.

Eventually, Brittany began working as a private home healthcare aide for an elderly couple, including a 98-year-old retired pastor and his wife.

But she still felt like something was missing.

She wanted to CREATE something of her own.

Then one day, Brittany wanted a really good homemade strawberry jam. There was only one problem:

She had never made jam in her life. 😂

So she taught herself.

After a few tries, she let the gentleman she cared for taste it.

“This is really good. I think you have something going here.”

That little bit of encouragement was all she needed.

💬 “It really started out with a little mustard seed of faith.”

Soon afterward, Brittany was blessed with hundreds of pounds of fruit. She spent 16 HOURS sorting, washing, preparing, and freezing it.

Then she started learning.

Strawberry. Different berries. Different recipes. Different batches.

Some were successes. Some were failures. But she kept going.

And somewhere along the way, Faithfully Made was born.

For Brittany, making food has always been a way of loving people.

💬 “My love language is always to feed people. I’m Italian. I can’t help it!”

Today, Faithfully Made combines Brittany’s love of food, family, creativity, meeting new people, and most importantly, her faith.

We’re excited to welcome Brittany Ingledue and FAITHFULLY MADE to the Makers Exchange!

🫙 Homemade with purpose.
❤️ Made to be shared.
🙏 And built from a mustard seed of faith.

Welcome to the Makers Exchange, Brittany!

🌟 MAKER SPOTLIGHT: HONEY & CREAM CREATIONS BY JO MELOTT 🌟Sometimes the best businesses are born from solving a problem i...
08/31/2026

🌟 MAKER SPOTLIGHT: HONEY & CREAM CREATIONS BY JO MELOTT 🌟

Sometimes the best businesses are born from solving a problem in your own life.

That’s exactly how Honey & Cream Creations began.

Jo Melott struggled with sensitive, irritated skin that continued getting worse. After trying recommended products, over-the-counter options, and other handmade products, she decided to start researching ingredients and creating something for herself.

Her journey started with goat’s milk and raw honey and eventually led her to discover sea moss. She began creating handcrafted soap that made her own skin feel better, and before long, other people started taking notice.

Then came the questions:

“Do you make lotion?”

“Do you make scrubs?”

“Do you make anything else?”

So Jo kept creating.

Today, Honey & Cream Creations offers handcrafted soaps, lotions, scrubs, hair masks, and more, with a focus on ingredients Jo herself feels good about using.

But there’s an even bigger purpose behind what she does.

Jo works in healthcare and has always had a passion for helping people. What started as a way to help herself has become another way for her to help others.

💬 “I started doing it for myself because I was miserable. Then I started thinking, what if this could help somebody else? Even if it just helps one other person.”

That mission has already created loyal repeat customers, and now we’re excited to introduce Honey & Cream Creations by Jo Melott as part of the Makers Exchange!

🛍️ Meet the maker. Know the story. Shop local.

Welcome to the Makers Exchange, Jo! 🎉

08/28/2026

🎨 WE’RE EXCITED ABOUT WHAT WE’RE SEEING!

Applications are coming in for the Makers Exchange, and we’re excited about some of the talented makers, artists, and high-quality products we’ve had the opportunity to review so far!

Onboarding interviews begin TODAY for makers who have been selected to move forward in the process.

The Makers Exchange is a CURATED retail storefront in Downtown East Liverpool. Our goal is to bring together high-quality, unique, locally and regionally made products in one unified storefront.

And we’re still looking for more!

Are you an artist, artisan, craftsman, creator, or maker with a product that belongs on a retail shelf?

WE WANT TO SEE YOUR WORK!

We’re looking for quality.
We’re looking for creativity.
We’re looking for products that will help us build a storefront people will want to visit again and again.

Applications are STILL OPEN!

Know someone making something great?

TAG THEM. SHARE THIS POST. ENCOURAGE THEM TO APPLY!

Apply and learn more here:
https://ourleaphub.com/makers-exchange

Makers Exchange | Powered by LEAP Hub
Downtown East Liverpool, Ohio

LET YOUR WORK WORK FOR YOU.

CALLING ALL MAKERS, ARTISTS & ARTISANS! 🎨🛍️REMINDER: Applications are OPEN for the Makers Exchange in Downtown East Live...
08/27/2026

CALLING ALL MAKERS, ARTISTS & ARTISANS! 🎨🛍️

REMINDER: Applications are OPEN for the Makers Exchange in Downtown East Liverpool!

We are currently reviewing applications and will be making our FIRST ROUND OF SELECTIONS at the beginning of September. We want to make sure everyone has an opportunity to get their application in and be considered!

We’re looking for high-quality, unique products including:

🎨 Original art
🪵 Handmade goods
🏺 Pottery & ceramics
💍 Jewelry
🧵 Textiles & sewn goods
🕯️ Candles & home goods
🖼️ Functional art
🎁 Unique handcrafted products
✨ And more!

If you create something you’re proud of, we want to see it!

The Makers Exchange, an initiative of the LEAP Entrepreneurial Hub, is creating a downtown retail destination where makers can get their products on the shelf, reach new customers, and continue growing their businesses.

Apply today:
https://ourleaphub.com/makers-exchange

PLEASE SHARE! 📣

Tag an artist, artisan, maker, or creative entrepreneur who needs to know about this opportunity. Help us spread the word and build something special right here in Downtown East Liverpool!

Makers Exchange
Powered by LEAP Entrepreneurial Hub

Applications for the Makers Exchange are STILL LIVE We are excited for the responses we are receiving!! Keep sharing, we...
08/20/2026

Applications for the Makers Exchange are STILL LIVE We are excited for the responses we are receiving!! Keep sharing, we don't want ANY maker to miss out! APPLY on our Website TODAY!

https://ourleaphub.com/makers-exchange

Apply TODAY! We will be evaluating makers and applications this month and next as we prepare for opening right in time f...
08/17/2026

Apply TODAY! We will be evaluating makers and applications this month and next as we prepare for opening right in time for the Holidays! But to make this store a regional destination we need the BEST makers in the Valley! Can’t wait to hear from you! Please upload picture files so we can get a good idea of what you have to offer! (Form requires log in due to media upload requirements)

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/19iq-2NBIkvivwZKrxKSx2oIBkfVqQ6aOEEyCQpBmKuc/edit

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East Liverpool, OH
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