Check Out Audrey Reichert Haleigh Noffsinger’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Audrey Reichert Haleigh Noffsinger.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Photography started as a passion for both of us long before Abide Creative Studio became a reality. We both fell in love with capturing genuine moments and telling stories through photographs—whether it was families, seniors, weddings, or the small in-between moments that often mean the most.
Over the years, we each built our own photography businesses and gained experience working with so many incredible clients in our community. As our businesses grew, we kept coming back to the same idea—we wanted to create more than just beautiful images. We wanted to create a space that felt inspiring, welcoming, and useful for other creatives too.
That shared vision led us to open Abide Creative Studio in downtown Van Wert. We saw a need for a natural light studio that could serve not only photographers, but also content creators, small business owners, and anyone needing a warm, versatile creative space.
Today, Abide is a reflection of both of us—our love for photography, our heart for community, and our desire to build something that helps others create and grow. It’s been such a rewarding journey, and we’re excited for what’s ahead.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It definitely hasn’t been a completely smooth road, but every challenge has helped shape where we are today. Like many small business owners, one of the biggest struggles was taking the leap from having an idea to actually making it happen. There were a lot of unknowns—finding the right space, navigating leases and startup costs, building the business side of things, and learning how to balance creativity with the practical side of running a studio.
As photographers, we’re used to serving clients behind the camera, but opening Abide Creative Studio meant stepping into something much bigger. We had to think about creating a space that served not just our own businesses, but our entire creative community.
There were definitely moments of stress, second-guessing, and a lot of learning as we went, but having a shared vision and supporting each other through the process made a huge difference. We truly believe the hard parts made the dream even more meaningful, and seeing people walk into the studio and feel inspired makes it all worth it.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
At the heart of what we do, we create a space where people and creativity can thrive. Between the two of us, we both specialize in photography—capturing weddings, families, seniors, portraits, branding sessions, and the meaningful moments in between. Our individual photography businesses gave us the foundation, but Abide Creative Studio allowed us to expand that vision into something bigger.
Abide Creative Studio is a natural light studio designed for photographers, content creators, and small business owners who need a warm, inviting, and versatile space to bring their ideas to life. We wanted it to feel more than just a rental studio—we wanted it to feel inspiring, comfortable, and welcoming from the moment someone walks in.
What we’re most proud of is creating something that serves not only our own clients, but our entire community. Seeing other photographers book the space, small businesses use it for branding, and families make memories there has been incredibly rewarding.
What sets us apart is the heart behind it. We care deeply about creating genuine connection, making people feel comfortable, and building a space that feels personal rather than transactional. We wanted Abide to feel like home—a place where creativity feels natural and people feel seen, and that’s something we’ve worked hard to build.

Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
Opening Abide Creative Studio was definitely one of the biggest risks we’ve taken. As photographers, we were comfortable running our own businesses and serving clients, but stepping into a commercial space and building a studio from the ground up was a completely different level of commitment.
There were financial risks, uncertainty, and a lot of “what ifs.” We had to trust that the vision we had for the space would resonate with others and that there was a real need for it in our community. Signing a lease, investing in renovations, creating the right atmosphere, and building something bigger than ourselves required a lot of faith and confidence.
We don’t necessarily see risk as being reckless—we see it more as being willing to step into something uncertain because we believe in the purpose behind it. For us, risk-taking has looked like trusting the process, being willing to grow, and understanding that sometimes the best opportunities require stepping outside of what feels comfortable.
Some of the best things in life and business come from taking that chance. If we had waited until everything felt perfectly safe or guaranteed, Abide probably wouldn’t exist. Sometimes you just have to be willing to trust the vision and take the first step.

Pricing:

• Pricing can be found on our website

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.abidecreative.studio
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abidecreative.studio/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61586343523735