University of Cincinnati student Rachel Mowry combined her creative side with her love for reading to create a unique business called Just Bookish Creations. 

“With classes moving to an online format, it provided the perfect opportunity to start a side business, says Mowry.” 

Just Bookish Creations is a small business that creates handmade folded book art, customized just how you like!

“I can create any name or date to make a one of a kind design.”  

Just Bookish Creations is a very unique talent that not many people know how to pursue. “You would be truly getting a unique, one of a kind item at my shop.”

The companies presence is completely online, and she accepts orders through her Instagram or Facebook page. 

Mowry is very excited for the future and her new products that are coming soon. 

“I hope to launch my book earrings soon, these will also be completely customizable and more affordable then my folded books, says Mowery.” 

To follow along follow their Facebook, Facebook shop or Instagram. 

Libby Andress finds inspiration through personal expression. 

“My style has always been very unknowingly experimental and I partly attribute this to my mother, and her enjoyment of outfitting personalities,” says Andress. “As a child in the 80s, I slept under a Fiorucci poster with angels wearing sunglasses that my mom brought back from Los Angeles. If you know the brand, then you probably understand that it has a reputation for being experimental.” 

Fiorucci was also all over Italy at a time when her family frequently traveled there. This brand encouraged her to be more demonstrative about her personal expression – in fashion, music, and art. 

Personal expression is key at Shop Libby, a jewelry shop with a wide array of jewelry options. Andress also designs some of the jewelry she sells in her shop, which is part indie designer brand.

“Personal expression is firstly the responsibility of the individual, and there is plenty to choose from out there in the world,” she says. “This is why I offer so many styles from all over the world to customers – so they can express themselves how they want, and everyone’s happy and no one feels insulted.”

Andress is the one-woman show behind her jewelry shop. Although she doesn’t currently have a storefront, you can find her online and at local pop-ups, including at Findlay Market on the weekends April through December.

Andress says she enjoys the unique blend of styles that she’s experienced in Cincinnati. “I grew up in Cincinnati and am familiar with the retail history of the city even back to before I was born – the local department stores and retail institutions that helped create a vibrant retail landscape,” she says. “Cincinnati definitely has a unique blend of style and I have experience trying all of it personally. I know what customers want here.”

She also credits her personal intuition for buying that helps to set her shop out from the rest. 

Her inventory and collections are constantly evolving, as most of what she sells is something she loves from the moment she buys or makes it. “If I don’t have a wow moment I typically won’t bother,” she says. 

Shop the collection at https://shoplibby.com or follow along on Instagram.

If you’re like many other busy women, the idea of transitional pieces making up your wardrobe is a dream come true. Whether you’re going from the office to date night, Savvi is a lifestyle brand that wants to help you get there without the need to change your clothes.

“Savvi is a lifestyle brand. Our focus is fashion,” explains Savvi Brand Partner Danielle Reinhart. “We currently focus on athleisure wear with transitional pieces that are designed with the intention of being able to take you from working out, to the grocery store, to meeting a friend for coffee or drinks, or even date night.”

The founders of Savvi are Ken Porter and Jenn Ashby. They were inspired to launch a brand that brings people together. 

“Our logo represents a community moving forward together,” says Reinhart. “And Savvi means to know or to understand, but we spell it with an ‘i,’ so it’s I know, I understand. We want people to come as they are and know that they’ll be embraced for that. Our mission is to empower you to feel good about yourself and inspire you to get moving and accomplish the dreams that only you know and understand for you. Yes, we are a clothing brand, but it’s so much more than that.”

Reinhart says she decided to get involved with Savvi initially because she thought they had a great business model.

“I didn’t think I had the time to start a business, but the simplicity of being able to monetize what we as women already do on the daily – wear cute clothes and tell people where you got them – was too good to pass up,” she says. “And when I heard that the plan was to launch brand new, fun and on trend pieces each week on our Fashion Friday fashions shows, I knew this was a brilliant way to keep things fresh and people interested in the brand.” 

There are many popular pieces currently available from Savvi, but Reinhart says she’s loving the Amy Sherpa. Other popular pieces include leggings, key for a mom-on-the-go, the Geos, the Indies, and Opals, and the Ashtanga.  

“I could go on and on,” says Reinhart. “This clothing makes you feel amazing, so there are many favorites.” 

As Battaglia continues her growth as a brand partner at Savvi, she’s looking forward to seeing what company can do while keeping a laser focus on serving its customers.  

“We are also working on being as sustainable as possible,” she says. “Currently our fabrics are sustainably sourced and we are very intentional about who we partner with on manufacturing. It’s important to me that we know that the people who made your clothing are being paid well and have good working conditions, but we are also working on reducing the carbon footprint and are developing some organic and green fabrics, and are working on being able to offer that type of clothing.”  

To learn more about Savvi or to shop, click here. You can learn more about Reinhart on her new Facebook page. 

Miranda Gullette graduated college in May 2020, at the peak of the pandemic. The economy was on its way down and many of her job interviews were cancelled because of that.  

Instead of using this time to worry, Gullette reflected on what her real passions were. She soon concluded that corporate America wasn’t where she wanted to be and she did something about it.  

Today she is the founder of Oak & Pine Boutique, a clothing boutique offering clothing for men and women as well as a plus-size line, soy candles, jewelry, and accessories. 

“I have always loved fashion so I did some research on different things I could do,” she explains. “Many of them required going back to school and starting over. I thought to myself, ‘Why not start my own business?’ And what better time to learn than during a pandemic. I think I read articles for a few weeks before I finally got my business plan written up. At first I thought there is no way I will be able to make this a successful business, but I won’t know until I try. This pandemic has been awful in many ways but it has also allowed me to step out of my comfort zone and try something for myself! I don’t think that if I would have gotten a job right after college I would be here doing something that I love and for that I am so grateful!” 

When you shop Oak & Pine Boutique you’ll find a variety of items for both men and women. “Clothing is always changing with the seasons,” she says. “But we also carry soy candles and a variety of accessories like belts, jewelry, and bags.” 

Gullette says that what makes her shop unique is that she’s doing it all on her own.  

“I package and send out all orders from my home,” says Gullette. “This allows for better customer services, sending our orders right away, and to make sure each item has the best quality before reaching each customer.” 

Currently, Oak & Pine Boutique is an online-only shop offering shipping and free pickup, with the option of curbside or contactless pickups.  

And with a new year here, Gullette says that she’s set a lot of goals for 2021. “Our main goal we hope to accomplish by the end of the year is our mobile boutique,” she says. “We want to offer a unique place for our customers to shop and with a mobile boutique we can do just that and be able to bring this experience to our customers.” 

To learn more about Oak & Pine Boutique, visit their website or check them out on Facebook and Instagram. 

Immaculate Bere is a mom, wife, and entrepreneur. In what feels like a journey through ever-changing roles, Bere says that she knows the struggle that can come with finding transitioning outfits to take working women from the office to a night on the town. 

“We thrive on eliminating the need to go back home after work to change and provide add-ons that will make a plain outfit change,” she explains when talking about her reasoning for opening Koku’s Boutique, an online brand selling accessories to women.  

Koku’s Boutique can help women make a statement with an ordinary outfit by adding accessories from her shop. 

“We offer a wide range of accessories that are chic yet colorful and can be transitioned from work to a late-night dinner, brunch, or just going to hang out with your friends and family,” says Bere.  

While the store is online only, there’s no shortage of pieces to take your outfit from drab to fab. You can find fedoras, blazers, purses, and jewelry at Koku’s Boutique. 

“Our stylish and quality accessories can be worn all year round,” says Bere. “Our wide selection of products and colors guarantees you to stand out and be complemented wherever you go.”  

While the main offering from Koku’s Boutique is currently accessories, Bere says that she’s looking into incorporating clothing into the brand as well.

To learn more about Koku’s Boutique, you can check them out on Facebook and Instagram.

“Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.” – Dr. Seuss.

The notion that we are all unique and there is no one else like us in the world is the inspiration behind Rare + Good Clayworks, a small, woman-owned business that designs and creates small batch polymer clay earrings that also give back.

“We all deserve something as beautiful and unique as we are – at an affordable price,” explains Rare + Good Clayworks Founder Jamie Glavic. 

Each of the pieces from Rare + Good Clayworks is handmade, so no two pieces are exactly alike, just like all of us. 

In addition to creating unique pieces at an affordable price, Rare + Good Clayworks gives back a portion of proceeds to the community.

“Last month, 10 percent of our sales were donated to Welcome House of North Kentucky,” says Glavic. “Currently, $5 from each sale of earrings from our Pollinator Series will go to support the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden’s Pollen Nation program.”

Glavic herself is a University of Cincinnati alum and currently works as a public relations professional. “I started Rare + Good Clayworks during the pandemic, officially launching the shop at the end of November 2020,” she says. “I’m an earring collector and I began experimenting with polymer clay in August 2020. One YouTube tutorial led to another and in a matter of weeks my love of art, color mixing, and design inspired me to jump in and commit to starting my own LLC.”

When you shop Rare + Good Clayworks, you’ll find a variety of earrings ranging from studs to drops to dangles. “We have a style and design you’ll love,” adds Glavic.

Glavic says that although her business is young she’s always refining and adding new designs to the collection.

With the arrival of 2021, Glavic says she’s hoping to build wholesale relationships with other women-owned boutiques and businesses in and around the city who complement the Rare + Good Clayworks brand. They’ll also be participating in local community markets when it is safe to do so.

To learn more about Rare + Good Clayworks, check out the Etsy shop or follow along on Facebook and Instagram.

Meredith Finn loves her community and finds joy in celebrating the communities around her. She took that love for her home and shares it with the world through the Newtown Shirt Company.

“Newtown Shirt Company launched in 2018 out of a desire to celebrate and support our great city and local communities,” she says. “We are focused on supporting our community with a great quality product while having a lot of fun. We strongly believe that having fun, looking good, and being comfortable doesn’t have to break the bank.”

And after 2020, Finn wants to help others share a laugh of two with her apparel.

Finn herself is a local Anderson Township resident. She’s lived in Cincinnati for 30 years, after growing up in Columbus, Georgia, and landing a job in the Queen City after graduating from Miami University. 

“I fell in love with Cincinnati because it is such a great place to live, work, play, and raise a family,” she says.

After spending a decade as a stay-at-home mom, she wanted to go back into the workforce. That’s when she and her husband purchased Chica Sport, a sports accessory company that manufactures Chic Bands and Seat Heroes. “While working in our Newtown store, we began to receive a lot of requests for custom, locally-themed t-shirts, thus Newtown Shirt Company was born,” she says. “Word began to spread and my focus became helping schools, businesses, and individuals create some awesome apparel.” 

Finn says that Newtown Shirt Company focuses on the local community.

“We love getting to know our customers in a community that we have been active in for years,” she says. “Word of mouth is how we started and that is the biggest compliment to hear someone say, ‘I called you because my friend told me how great you were to work with on their shirts.’”

Newtown Shirt Company is also unique in that it partners with groups to create a catalog of apparel for a swim club, school, non-profit, business, or neighborhood. Some of these collections include work for the Turpin Hills Swim and Racquet Club, Mt. Carmel Brewery, Main Street Cafe, Summit Country Day, R.O.A.R., 1N5, and the Forest Hills 5k. 

In addition to their catalog collections, Newtown Shirt Company is expanding into tumblers and coffee mugs that highlight Cincinnati, like the 513 Tervis and the Evelyn Henson Cincinnati tumbler and artwork.

With the arrival of a new year, Newtown Shirt Company says that they’re committed to creating joy in 2021. “We want to make people smile, to feel happiness, to laugh a little or a lot,” says Finn. “Newtown shirt Company is launching a new line of sweatshirts and t-shirts at the end of January to start the year off that speaks to this. Our Wag More, Bark Less line is designed to remind you to lead with joy and kindness.”

Finn adds that they are also looking forward to expanding their line of Cincinnati-inspired products other than apparel, which you can stay updated on by subscribing to their newsletter.

To learn more about Newtown Shirt Company, visit www.newtownshirtcompany.com. You can also find them on Facebook and Instagram. You can contact Finn directly by calling 513-871-4300 or by emailing meredith@newtownshirtcompany.com.