10 minute read
Gifted Giving
Three of the coolest local makers you should turn to for presents this year, and their unique backstories
Introduction by Jack McLaughlin / Section Design by Tori Smith
Why does it feel like in an era when we have have the world at our fingers, and literally in our pockets, with the internet, it’s even harder to find a legitimately good present for someone close to you?
We’ve put together a handful of Columbus creators making stuff that’s legitimately interesting, wholly unique, and based right here in Columbus.
From an Arch City comedian and photographer who captures the city in coasters, to soap made with local IPAs and a painter sprinkling a little bit of the spooky season throughout the rest of the year, we've got you covered.
So no more grocery gift cards or socks you thought were funny that are actually just weird—it’s time to get serious about your gifting, and to learn about some cool Columbus creators while you’re doing it.
Snapshots on Ceremic
Columbus Coaster Co. is capturing the city you love, one ceramic square at a time
By Chris Alexis / Photos courtesy of James Godwin
Columbus is brimming with landmarks that are not just significant to the city, but also to the people who live here. The Columbus Coaster Co. is solidifying these prominent locations and memories by offering unique products through their ceramic tile coasters, each imprinted with a different locale from Central Ohio and beyond.
James Godwin, the company's founder, is a native of the Capital City and has been a photographer since 2003.
"I always wanted to showcase my art, but it felt like a challenge to get into art galleries," he explained, adding that he didn’t want to become “just another photographer capturing skylines."
His solution? Creating The Columbus Coaster Co. in 2013, where he features his images on coasters, creating an affordable art medium. Each one only costs 10 bucks.
He described his coasters as "cool, kitschy items for people to enjoy." One of the first locales he captured for a coaster was Hey Hey Bar & Grill, where Godwin's parents first met. However, it holds an additional (and opposing) significance—it's also where Godwin ended his relationship with the mother of his children.
"Everyone has memories from all these places around town, and the coasters came out of that," he remarked, while noting his license to capture images on Ohio State's campus. The Columbus Coaster Co. website features a search engine enabling users to check if coasters are available for different locations around Columbus.
The response has been overwhelmingly positive, he said, prompting the business to balloon. To manage the expansion, Godwin enlisted the help of his father, Mike Godwin, for administrative help.
"I get a ton of repeat customers because these coasters make great gifts," he shared. "People will say, 'This is where my boyfriend proposed,' or 'This is our favorite spot in town when we come visit.’”
One repeat customer is the family who owns Donatos. "They discovered our coasters, loved them, and bought a whole bunch,” he said.
When asked about his yearly sales figures, Godwin chuckled and admitted he wasn’t certain, but it's evident the demand is high. They’re peppered throughout the city so much that not everyone even realizes who’s behind them.
“I'll go to a friend's house, and they have my coasters,” he said. “They don't even know I made them!”
The popularity of these coasters has extended beyond Columbus, with Godwin capturing images in places like Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, and Kentucky.
Godwin juggles his coaster business with a separate photography business and stand-up comedy gigs. “I’m not too far on that,” he noted about his stints at Don’t Tell Comedy.
He even combines coasters to create mosaic murals, featured in parking garages near the Columbus Convention Center. Godwin also accepts custom orders. People can send him images, which he then edits and prints onto coasters.
"Many of my current designs are based on requests," he noted. "If six or more people ask for the same thing, I’ll go out and photograph it."
The coaster creation process is swift, taking less than an hour from concept to finished product.
After capturing the photo, Godwin employs a technique called dye sublimation, using specialized ink and a 400-degree heat press.
The image is imprinted onto the coaster under heat and 60 PSI of pressure for seven minutes. This process ensures durability, allowing coasters steeped in memories to be passed down through generations, preserving a family's story.
Despite expanding his photography locations, Godwin's heart remains in Columbus.
"I love this city," he said. "I was born, raised, and now choose to live here. I've traveled all over the country, but I keep coming back because Columbus feels like a big 'small town.' Everyone knows everyone, and I love that about this place.” And we love that he loves capturing what makes Columbus so great.
To learn more, visit columbuscoasterco.com
Holiday Spirits
n Ashley Miller's world, ghosts go on vacation. They sunbathe beside the pool and ride horses through the desert. They visit museums and ascend up mountains on ski lifts. They host holiday parties and pick flowers for each other. Under the moniker I Am A Ghost, Miller has been creating a universe of her own through paintings where whimsical nostalgia takes the form of the timeless bed sheet poltergeist, and the emphasis in afterlife is on “life.”
It's pretty much an idyllic autumn day as I chat with Ashley about her work. Orange leaves, blue sky, wind chimes. She tells me she's got an album on her phone completely dedicated to pictures of interesting clouds. I learn she, too, has a black cat, and we discuss the possibility that animals can see things we can’t. Coincidentally, on her Instagram page, @i.am.a._ghost, just yesterday she posted a new piece that features two black cats sitting atop a dusty wooden chair looking out at their world with slightly offset eyes. The scene is a tiny bit spooky, but warm and inviting. It makes sense that these same emotions served as the catalyst for I Am A Ghost. “I’ve been doing it for a couple of years now,” Miller informs me, “but I feel like I’m still experimenting with how things will turn out."
First, she finds old art and photographs. She has an eye for scenes that are playful, dreamy, and softly sentimental (a few of her inspirations, I’m told, include Andrew Wyeth and Wes Anderson). Then come the ghosts. She paints them directly onto a source piece. But they’re not ghostly ghosts, per se…they’re way less scary and way more unassuming and, frankly, adorable. They hover this way and that way casually. They’re “blank slates” that “anyone can bring their experiences to,” Ashley mentions when I inquire about the recurring visual motif. Whether it’s a stroll through tall grass or a busy day at the beach, the magic to Miller’s repurposed paintings is that the viewer takes an immediate and active role in them. It could easily be you beneath the bed sheet. Or a loved one, or a person you met in passing. It could be someone who has passed. Crucially, though, I Am A Ghost is “not about loss… or missed opportunities”—it’s a project that seeks to rekindle and celebrate moments of joy, tenderness, and wonder.
If you’d like to view and purchase Ashley’s artwork in-person, you can find it, and her, at The Brass Hand, a vintage gift and plant shop in Clintonville where she’s the Operations Manager (plus there’s pieces of hers to purchase at Honey Cup Coffee Company on Hudson Street in the cozy seating nook dubbed “The Brass Hand Lounge”). She has also previously been a vendor at Friendship Flea and other local Columbus art markets.
You can also find originals listed on her website, and they all come ready to display in fittingly charming frames. She offers high-quality prints for sale there, too, and a page with a form for contacting her. If you’d like to have something commissioned, don’t be scared to reach out. Ashley is open to transforming art or photos provided to her as well as creating from just an idea or vibe: “It could be something super specific, like a car model in a particular color from a certain year… or it could be more general, like your favorite National Park!”
Helping make it happen, Ashley would like to thank her boss and owner of The Brass Hand, Heather McCloud, for being supportive from the get-go, her little sister “who tolerates this messy hobby,” and all the people who are currently being haunted (merrily) by her ghostly creations.
To learn more or order prints, visit iamaghoststudio.com
Clean For The Holidays
Scrub down in style with Huckstle, one of the coolest soap companies around
By Molly Hammond / Photo by Björn Anderson
As the holiday season approaches, the quest for the perfect gift begins. Nestled next to Bridge Park in Dublin, brothers Talan and Taron Taylor founded a unique personal care company in 2018 that has made waves in the local market: handcrafted soap that highlights the Columbus craft beer scene we all know and love.
Huckstle, named after the commonly used nickname for a snake oil salesman (“Huckster”), is not your average soap company. The two brothers have taken the art of soap-making to a whole new level by incorporating local beers into their products. Yes, you read that right - beer! This innovative approach not only adds a unique twist to their soaps, but also supports local breweries, making it a win-win for the Columbus community.
The idea behind using beer in soap is not just for novelty though. Beer is known to have several skin benefits, as it is rich in antioxidants and vitamins. The craft beer soaps are made using lye and the cold process method. They’re handmade in small batches by the Huckstle team. Beer is added in place of water, and the beer’s amino acids help maintain pH balance, making it great for those with sensitive skin.
But the magic of Huckstle doesn't stop at products that are just good for the skin. They’re committed to highlighting what makes "the biggest small town in America" special. Huckstle has brewery collaborations with multiple Cap City favorites, including Land-Grant, MadTree, Nocterra and Olentangy River Brewery.
“Our work is focused on formulating and delivering products that bring excitement and pride into the self-care people provide themselves daily,” said Taylor. “The goal is to always put craft first, be attentive to detail, and, most importantly, enrich the experience you receive.”
That craft is recognizable when customers get their hands on a Huckstle product. The Taylor brothers wanted to implement interesting design elements into the soap labels and decided to use each craft beer’s label and “remix” it into their own. Each label, you can identify where the company takes a brewery’s slogan or logo and makes it soap related instead of beer-centric.
Sustainability is also at the forefront of this local business, as each product is created without the use of unnecessary additives, dyes and ingredients, and they are all natural, organic and ethically sourced. The brothers tie this practice of quality products all together as they handcraft and package each product that’s purchased.
Not only is a Huckstle soap the gift that keeps on giving, but the company sells a variety of other sustainable, high-quality ingredients, including multi-balms, the crowd favorite beard oil, mustache wax, and body lotions.
Huckstle can often be found traveling to pop-up shows around the 614, including Not Your Mama’s Craft Market, German Village Makers Market, Columbus Flea, Westerville Farmers Market, and The Dublin Farmers Market, or even at Amazon, Macy’s, Pure Roots, Goat Local, and Littletons.
To give the gift of Huckstle or to grab your own favorite Columbus brew-inspired soap, visit huckstle.com.
