Made Cleveland Has Closed as Vendors Wait for Overdue Payments, Merchandise

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 is officially closed as some vendors wait for payments, others wait for money due from six small claims court suits, and others wait to retrieve merchandise from the store.

Owner Ash O’Connor has been under fire after she was sued by six vendors for more than $4,000 in unpaid revenue. Others chimed in online to say they had similar incidents.

One of the plaintiffs, Gina Wilkolak, confirmed to Scene on Tuesday that, despite the public statement, a handful of artists and artisans have not been able to reach O’Connor since she decided to effectively abandon the store following a curt court appearance in Cleveland Heights.

“None of the people from the lawsuits have been paid” as of Tuesday, Wilkolak, a maker of bespoke jewelry, told Scene via email. “I heard artists who still have their things in the store are struggling to get their items back.”

O’Connor, who’s owned and operated Made Cleveland on Coventry since 2022, has run what seemed on the surface to be a viable incubator for up-and-coming local creators. Below the surface, O’Connor has struggled to keep to a payment timeline—a deposit on the 15th of every month—for the vendors she welcomed into the store. It’s unclear exactly how many are owed backpay and overdue pay.

Scene reached out yet again for a comment from O’Connor, as to find out when exactly the store might be opened up for past vendors to get their wares. She did not respond. “Who’s having a hard time getting their belongings?” she asked News 5. “I’d like to ensure they’re getting the right information.”

“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.”

State records show that O’Connor filed in August 2023 to form a new business entity called “Kona Collectives LLC,” though it’s unclear exactly how that business is being used.

O’Connor is no stranger to financial straits.

County records show there are currently 43 judgment liens against her from January 2021 to last year.

And a lawsuit filed October 2023 by Vox Funding claims that O’Connor owed the small business funder $25,586 after ending automatic payments to the company that September.

The property is owned by the city of Cleveland Heights.

In a statement to News 5 Cleveland, a spokesperson said, “The decision to wind down operations was made mutually between the store owner and the City. Made Cleveland has reached out to all vendors to pick up their inventory; the owner intends to be fully out of the space by the end of the month.”