Lisa Smith is the proud new owner of Maker, a craft shop at 213 W. Main St. in Greenfield. Smith will soon start hosting arts and crafts classes at the shop, including a recurring craft grief therapy session on Thursday nights.
GREENFIELD – Lisa Smith dreamed of opening a craft shop for years.
Last month she finally pulled the trigger.
Maker is a one-stop craft shop located at 213 W. Main St. in downtown Greenfield.
“I named it Maker because a lot of people who do a lot of crafting consider themselves to be makers, and I also wanted to give glory to the one who made it all possible,” she said, referring to her faith in God.
With help from her three grown kids, Smith has stocked the shelves at her shop with supplies for scrapbooking, quilts, embroidery, artwork, jewelry, cards and more.
Since opening in early June, Smith has been thrilled to meet a wide range of local crafters, quilters and artists who happily share examples of their work.
“I’ve found we have so much artistic talent here in Greenfield,” she said.
A retired nurse and longtime crafter, Smith was inspired to launch the store after seeing comments on a community Facebook page about the need for a craft store like Hobby Lobby in Greenfield. She also saw posts about people wanting a place to connect and make friends.
She’s hopeful her shop can meet both those needs.
“I’m hoping this will become a community,” said Smith. “A part of this is to give people another opportunity to make friends.”
A big part of her business plan is hosting a weekly grief support program called Ascend, which allows those coping with grief to build relationships while working on crafts.
The group will meet from 6-8 p.m. Thursdays, after store hours, starting Aug. 1
“A lot of people don’t feel comfortable talking about loss. I want the group to be something where people can come in and talk freely if they want to,” she said.
“The only ground rules are no religious or political talk because I don’t want anybody to feel like they’re not welcome in any way, shape or form. This is a very welcoming space and needs to be that way for everyone,” said Smith, who knows a thing or two about grief.
Her mom, dad and husband all died within a four-year span – from 2020-2023 – during which time she also had to say goodbye to two beloved dogs.
“Someone described grief to me as a tsunami, as it hits in waves. Just when you think it goes away it comes back,” said Smith, who continues to cope with her loss.
“I just want people who are grieving to know that they have a space to go to, and they’re not ignored or lost,” she said.
In addition to the Ascend gatherings, Smith also plans to start hosting classes on a variety of art forms at her shop, led by local artists.
“It’s important to celebrate local artists,” said the shop owner, who reserves one nook in her shop to showcase locally made arts and crafts on a rotating basis.
Local artist Autumn Childers was thrilled to see the wide assortment of supplies in Smith’s shop when she stopped by for the first time on Tuesday.
“I really like it. I think it’s unique because there’s no other store like this in town,” said Childers, who just moved to Greenfield from Carmel.
Smith was happy to chat her up, offering to help her track down whatever supplies she may need.
As a people person, Smith loves the opportunity to engage with the customers who walk through her doors.
“I call this my happy space because I get to talk to lots of people, and they show me what (crafts) they do. It’s really cool to see the things people do. It’s pretty amazing,” she said.
Smith said the shop will be closed July 25-30, but will then resume normal hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.
To learn more, or to register for the weekly Ascend meetings, visit makeringreenfield.com or email Smith at [email protected].
