Today we’d like to introduce you to Kevin & Lori Weaver. They share their story with us below:
What started as an opportunity to grow their own local business has become something greater than Kevin and Lori could have ever imagined. The two set out on this new journey over the summer of 2020. They went straight to work filling the first location in Belden Village Mall with the best, premier Ohio artisans.
“The talent behind the handmade product is my true passion. I love being able to offer unique, one-of-a-kind, quality products to our customers. When you shop at any of our locations, you are supporting someone’s dream and you may just be giving them that extra boost of confidence to take their small business to the next level. Empowering our artisans to follow their dreams and do what they love provides me with enormous gratification.”
2021 was a big growth year for us. We opened 3 of our 4 locations in 2021. Now in 2022 we are managing the 4 stores and are happy to see so many success stories of our artisans gaining so many more website sales, and experiencing growth in their own business’ due to the exposure being in one (or all) of our stores has given them.
At Blended, I have the privilege to connect with hundreds of small business owners. It is such a sweet experience! Being an artisan, myself, is what brought us to this business venture. With my husband’s experience in business management and our love for small businesses, we put our talents together and leapt into the unknown. Kevin is still at his full-time position as the operations manager at River City Solutions & Southwood Pallet, but in true “Kevin” fashion he never seems to run out of battery. Blended could not and would not be what it is today without our team approach. Being able to work next to my husband is truly a blessing and I am so grateful.”
The Weavers have been together for 22 years and married for 17. They have one daughter, Savannah and a cute little Havanese called Harley. The rolling hills of the beautiful Amish Country is where they reside, in Northeast Ohio. Weavers love unique eateries, trips to the Smoky Mountains, and say they are happiest when they are all together.
“I am thankful for God’s grace and unfailing love for me and strive to be more like Him every day. My favorite quote ‘Comparison is the thief of all Joy,’ is a daily reminder to be thankful for OUR story and uplift others in their success. In the end, you reap what you sow, and I am truly honored to have met so many talented Artisans and am blessed to call them our friends.
If you happen to catch me at one of our locations, please introduce yourself, I would love to meet you! Kevin and I are honored to share each and every one of our Blended family of artisans with you.”
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
The road to where we are now definitely came with its fair share of struggles. The biggest one being the lack of employees/interested applicants to work our stores as sales associates. The economy responded so well to Blended at each of our locations, and we were so happy about that. But the lack of help with manning the many hours our stores are open definitely brought on some burn out, especially during the crazy holiday months. Additional struggles are that of any growing business, we learned to delegate tasks to individuals we felt has the business’ best interests at heart and loved the Blended mission. That is one of the keys to the success of growing any small business, find a team that has your back at all time!
We’ve been impressed with Blended, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Blended is a small business that thrives on supporting other small businesses. Inside each location you will find a variety of talented, unique artisans.
Each location houses 30+ artisans from the surrounding area. This enables you to shop where it counts. With each purchase, you are creating your own economic impact in your local community. With a database of over 100 different small businesses that we represent in our stores, the impact that we make in the small business/artisan community will be lasting.
We take pride in our local artisans and their businesses. By providing a brick-and-mortar location, we give small businesses the chance to be shopped on a much larger scale.
What makes you happy in this business?
Kevin & I are happiest when we can sit back and see the growth of the company we have created. Hard work is what it takes to grow anything. I think when blood, sweat, and tears are ingrained into a growing business, success is so much sweeter. Another happiness for us is seeing the small business’ gain the recognition they deserve by being noticed in one of our stores.
Contact Info:
- Email: blended@blendedlocal.com
- Website: https://www.blendedlocal.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/BlendedOhio/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BlendedOhio
Image Credits
Toledo Blade
Canton Lifestyle Magazine
