Cleveland Heights Judge Orders Made Cleveland Owner to Make Thousands in Overdue Payments to Vendors

Made Cleveland, a maker shop based on Coventry Road since 2022, has allegedly not paid dozens of its vendors in the past few months. Credit: Photo by Mark Oprea

Made Cleveland owner Ash O’Connor has been ordered to pay thousands of dollars to vendors who claimed that she had been delaying payments to them for months, if not years, a Cleveland Heights judge ruled on Friday.

Judge Donna Fitzsimmons ruled that O’Connor would be required to pay four of her former vendors—Krystal Cain, Steveland Arnold, Lucy Bailey and Gina Wilkolak—roughly $4,100 in back revenues that the group had claimed O’Connor owed them since at least 2023.

During the quick small claims trial, the four vendors expressed disappointment and confusion as to why O’Connor hadn’t followed through on the terms of a contract she had signed.

Wilkolak, who ran a bespoke earrings shop, Pause My Game, out of Made Cleveland from June to October, told the court she hadn’t received a dime of the $643 O’Connor owed her since last summer.

Like others, Wilkolak presented contracts, invoices and emails from the five months Pause My Game sold out of O’Connor’s shop on Coventry Road.

“There has been no effort on the defendant’s side to remedy this situation since I officially left the store as a vendor,” Wilkolak told the court, adding that she’s had to turn down other maker spots because of O’Connor debt.

“This has been a taxing process,” she said.

O’Connor offered a plea of no contest initially, which is only allowed in criminal proceedings, not in small claims court. She did not offer a statement, and did not return a request for comment by Scene.

“We recognize that some payments to our valued vendors have been delayed, and we deeply regret any inconvenience this has caused,” O’Connor wrote Scene in a statement in December. “This is not reflective of the respect and appreciation we have for the incredible artists and entrepreneurs who have trusted us with their work.

“We are actively working to address these delays while ensuring we maintain the integrity and sustainability of Made Cleveland,” she added.

Opening on Coventry in 2022, Made Cleveland grew out of the pandemic as a refuge for local makers and artists hunting for a viable way to sell their paintings, mugs or candles in a real-deal brick-and-mortar.

Vendors, especially nascent ones, found appeal in O’Connor’s contract: 60 percent of revenue went to them; the rest went to Made Cleveland. Vendors would get paid on the 15th of every month. There were no fees for rent or a spot on the website.

“It’s about gaining access to locally-made goods as easily as possible,” O’Connor told Ideastream last May. “That’s not only beneficial to vendors, but to the community itself.”

The only problem, in the minds of vendors, was that O’Connor was not living up to the ideals she had laid down. Finally, the four vendors owed money were forced to take legal action.

Two more lawsuits have been filed since January, claiming a total of $1,586 in additional backpay owed.

It’s not clear exactly how the four who appeared in court Friday will be securing payment from O’Connor.

But, as they told Scene after the 30-minute trial, there’s at least a symbolic victory to hold onto. However long it lasts.

“It’s just like, I know word-of-mouth has gotten out,” Cain, owner of the Salty Hive Candle Company, “but I’m just surprised that the doors are still open.”

Next to her, Wilkolak nodded. “That’s the frustrating thing! The store is still open,” she said. “The store does continue to operate. New vendors are still are coming in.”

Arnold, who sued O’Connor for $639, said he believes incoming vendors may have to find out the hard way, even as more small claims suits come into court.

And, even if he’s paid what he’s owed, he doesn’t feel a lot will change.

“She doesn’t care,” he said. “She’s just trying to scrape us off the plate and move forward with her business.”