Southern Indiana Business March-April 2020 | Page 24

COVER STORY
“I THINK IT’S
AMAZING TO SEE
PEOPLE COME IN
HERE AND THEY
HAVE ONE LITTLE
IDEA AND THEN IT
JUST EXPLODES
AND IT TURNS
INTO A BUSINESS.”
­
— Christy Riley, Maker 13
to local schools and maker fairs.
They hope that by giving them
hands-on experiences, they can
help excite young people about jobs
in manufacturing. And thanks to
scholarships over the past two years,
they’ve been able to visit nearly every
school in both Southern Indiana and
Jefferson County Public Schools in
Kentucky for free. “We talk to the
kids, show them that science is cool,
that you can do things with your
hands,” Riley said “It’s been a lot of
fun.”
DIY SATISFACTION
Roger and Tina Bonesteel have
watched customers like Winternheimer
evolve from complete newcomers to
true artisans. Christy and John Riley
have watched makers like Daughtery
and Connell grow from single ideas to
successful entrepreneurs.
And whether DIY means creating
one Christmas ornament or an Etsy
empire, they all agree that, as business
owners, watching people experience
the thrill of creating something from
nothing is just as thrilling for them.
“I think it’s amazing to see people
come in here and they have one little
idea and then it just explodes and it
turns into a business,” Riley said. “I’ve
seen people be able to quit their jobs. I
have people who’ve bought their own
lasers because they went beyond what
we could offer production-wise, it’s
really neat to see,” she said.
“We have some people, you can tell,
it’s changed their life.”
Donna McDonald sorts through thread colors as she prepares to finish an embroidered bag for a client. As owner of MYCAAA, McDonald uses
embroidery designs for Christian inspirational apparel and a wide variety of other projects.
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March / April 2020