Raise Your Brush, 169 N Main Street, Centerville, OH (2026)

06/14/2023

This is it! Come by Raise your Brush one final time on June 15th and 16th between 9am and 1pm to snag some awesome stuff. Here is a sneak peak, but there is so much more! Cash and Venmo accepted.

06/10/2023

EVERYTHING will be for sale at Raise your Brush this Thursday and Friday, June 15th and 16th! Come by between 9am-1pm both days to get steals on our furniture, equipment, paintings, and supplies. Plus, get a chance to say goodbye. 🥲 Cash and Venmo ONLY.

05/31/2023

After ten amazing years of painting with all of you, we have made the difficult decision to close the doors at Raise your Brush. Rising rent and falling revenue were ultimately the final factors. We kept waiting for things to “get back to normal” after Covid, but even with helpful grants and loyal guests, we are still waiting.

Could we reinvent ourselves again? Sure. I have had many fantastic suggestions as to how to build revenue. Art is truly infinite, and it certainly would be possible to try a plethora of projects. But every time someone started a sentence with, “What if you tried to…” I could feel my heart racing with stress. Over these years, Raise your Brush had evolved, grown, downsized, pivoted, rolled with the punches, and essentially revamped the entire business model in order to keep the lights on. We are blessed to have made it through the pandemic. But the truth is, I am not out of ideas; I am out of steam.

I think any small business owner can relate to this. You have your “baby” that you grew from the ground up. I literally did this with a newborn AJ in tow, trying to write a business plan, figure out funding, location, logistics (I mean, how on earth do you acquire a liquor permit?). This wasn’t easy for an artist like myself; my brain simply doesn’t function in business mode.

So letting go of something that you have fought for is not easy. But there comes a time when you have to ask yourself if you want to keep fighting or simply move on.

We hoped to find someone with fresh ideas and a new energy to purchase Raise your Brush. It certainly would take a person with the same enthusiasm I had when we first opened to take what we already have and build it back up again. While the concept (paintings, files, name, etc) is still for sale, we were unable to find a purchaser to keep things running at the current location without interruption.

My incredible team of instructors has stayed on board with me for the past few months, knowing that closing was a very real possibility. I can not thank Sam, Cheryl, and Sherie enough for sticking with me until the very end. Your support and dedication means the world to me. My trusty web team made up of Kate and Karen have been with me through thick and thin (sometimes very thin), and never gave up on me.

Everyone, please give it up for my husband and co-owner, Andy. You have never complained about bartending when I needed you. You put up with loading endless Amazon deliveries, and looked past the random craft supplies scattered throughout our spare bedroom, kitchen, and all over the dining room table. And thank you especially for always believing in me. You never said anything like, “Wait, you want to do WHAT?” You just trusted that I had everything under control. I know that will be the case in the coming months as I navigate the next chapter.

So what’s next? No clue. But what I do know for certain is that every time my future looks unclear, God is up to something big. This is why I trust the unknown more than I trust my own plans; God has always been the author of my endeavors. I can’t wait to find out what you have in store for me, Father. Let’s get this adventure started!
With sincere gratitude,

Laura Carter

P.S. We will be having an inventory sale very soon. Paintings, furniture, supplies, equipment, etc. Stay tuned!