"Where Creativity Meets Community"

how it all started...

We all know that being a small business owner can be a very lonely place. You’re the CEO, CFO, Marketing Director, Content Creator, Sales Associate, and everything in-between. AND on top of that, if you have a family, you’re also a wife and mommy, so tack on ALL of those tasks too!

My name is Kristen, the owner, artisan, and all-things-in-between person behind MAKE[R]. You can say I’ve always had an itch for entrepreneurship, an addiction to DIY, and a love for being around others who share a similar mindset. When I moved to Georgia and started up my handmade business again, I quickly found other women like me—running handmade businesses out of their homes and doing markets to make some extra income.

But with this came lots of struggles. My business being inside my home meant I wasn’t able to be fully present with my family because I was always thinking of the next thing I needed to make or the next task I had to do. And let’s talk about being in pop-up markets around the area: What happens when your child has a weekend event? Or if it rains? Or when the weather is unbearably hot (hello, Atlanta summers)? You have to be there anyway.

This led me to search for a retail space. That alone was so scary. I’d never signed a lease or been locked into anything like that before. So I got together with some of my small business friends over coffee one day to brainstorm a solution. What started as a small gathering of women exchanging ideas and struggles quickly grew into a flourishing community of female entrepreneurs supporting one another.

Today, my community is called MAKE[R]. We host monthly workshops, pop-up markets, and partner with other women and artisans looking to grow their handmade businesses. Our artisans collaborate instead of compete, and the group has fostered countless friendships and partnerships.

MAKE[R] now has two locations: one in Suwanee Town Center in Suwanee, GA, and the other at Halcyon in Alpharetta, GA. We believe in community over competition and strive to give handmade artisans a place to call home and share their craft with others. We believe that when makers support makers, everyone succeeds—and my story is proof that one person’s initiative can spark a movement.