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Makers are gonna make! And that’s what a number of people in Western New York {myself included} have done. If you’re looking for a fun class to take with a friend you should check out Makers Buffalo on Hertel Ave.

When it comes to things to do in Buffalo and Western New York I personally get tired of doing the same thing or going to the same place {restaurants, movies, etc.}. I like to find new and LOCAL places to go – and one of those places is Makers. I’ve taken a couple classes at Makers over the past year and each one is fun and unique in its own way. The biggest thing I have gotten out of taking a class is accomplishment – knowing you completed a craft and made something special is a pretty cool feeling.

So I asked the creative, fun and talented Gretchen Meyers for a few minutes of her time to talk about her awesome business. Read on to learn more!

-B

Gretchen has a business education experience along with a fundraising and event planning background. After working with both for-profit and non-profit she decided to start Pegs Hardware – an element based jewelry line {that you can find at Modern Nostalgia and online here}.

Makers was something Gretchen knew she wanted to do even when she started Pegs. She knew she wanted to do this for 2 reasons.

She wanted this for herself, an outlet where she could go to be creative and use her talents
Eventually Gretchen would like to turn Makers into a type of community center for the arts; offering cooking, music, 3D, 2D, classes, etc. Offering enrichment classes for kids whose school may cut art programs or those who are looking to enhance their portfolio. In Gretchen’s mind it’s about giving back in your community and paying it forward.

Gretchen stay’s fresh with upcoming, creative classes through blogs, Pinterest and various apps. She likes to offer trendsetting tastes and new ideas – that’s what makes, Makers!

When looking at adding new crafts she thinks of 3 things:

Time sensitive – classes are usually about an hour and a half to two hours long
Having the classes be beginner/basic level and cost effective {classes range from $28 to $42, about the average cost of a night out with dinner and drinks}
Making sure it’s something the people want. If people don’t find a use for what they are making, then it won’t be successful

When taking a class at Makers you can bring light appetizers and your own beverages {including wine and/or beer}. The most popular classes have been the hanging air plant, envelope clutches and the modern dream catcher. Down the road Gretchen is looking to add embroidery classes to the schedule too.

You can have Makers for team building exercises, bachelorette and bridal parties and birthday parties. You can even hold a private class at the Makers studio or Gretchen can come to you {there are some restrictions to check on when you book the class if hosting it at your own home or business}. It’s always better to book earlier {at least a month’s notice} for private parties or functions.

The class schedule varies from Tuesday thru Thursday – see the full schedule here. And if you’re looking for something to do this coming weekend you can see Gretchen at the Lewiston Harvest Festival on Saturday for Peg’s Hardware.

Down the road Gretchen hopes to host “Makers Present” – exposing other professionals in the art industry and cross promoting one another. The goal of this is for everyone to learn more about others in the community.

Makers even offers classes for kids! Mini Makers . This past summer she offered 3 camps and had certified teachers for the classes. She offers them sporadically during the year so keep your eyes out for that if you have little ones who would enjoy attending.

When I asked Gretchen what she loves the most about Buffalo, if there is a favorite place she likes to go or activity she likes to do in town she said the following,

She loves the 4 seasons, “fall is gorgeous here. “ If you want to go skiing or hiking it’s not far away, Canada is 4 minutes from where she lives and seeing the growth of this city is amazing! She couldn’t have started her businesses in a bigger city, Buffalo works! Housing is affordable, you see cranes -showing good things are happening here. We have 30 year olds coming back and helping fix the city – we are helping fix and grow Buffalo and it’s awesome to see.