About Made in the Lehigh Valley
It can be tough to find handmade and locally-produced things on the internet. Many of the big platforms and search engines require complicated filters and key words to get locally-made goods, and many of them don't even recognize the "Lehigh Valley" region!
"Made in the Lehigh Valley" (MiLV) began as a grassroots project in June of 2023. The website launched in November 2023. We hope that this website will be a go-to space for everyone to easily shop locally for everything they're looking for. This will be a place where literally every customer can find what they were looking for, and every maker can get the regional visibility and customizability they deserve.
OUR MISSION
Our Mission Statement
For over a decade, there has been a growing trend for consumers to “Buy local.” However, despite the best of intentions, consumers find it challenging to locate those businesses. It is equally challenging for those who make local goods, as they struggle to find new customers and gain access into the larger local economy and online space.
MiLV will be a website, a community, and a movement, supporting the Lehigh Valley by:
- allowing unique and niche producers to access a curated, flexible localized platform, with technical support and public exposure built in.
- encouraging local consumers, tourists, and business owners to discover and purchase products from brands and artists they may not know are available locally.
- supporting the local economy by enhancing makers' SEO and encouraging shopper independence from Google / AI-generated searches.
- safeguarding the Lehigh Valley against the vulnerabilities of the global supply chain.
- building local producer-consumer awareness and community literacy, building collaborative relationships among makers, and helping consumers to find new products.
Special Thanks...
This site was created with the talent, creativity, and open-minded support of the following artists:
Michael Smull, Web Designer & Developer, Graphic Designer and Musician, and owner of Big Pixel Studio.
Ryan Olszewski, Product and Wildlife Photographer, Drawing and Ceramic Artist, and owner of Ryan O Photography and Art.
Reese Yeager, Product and Art Photographer, Charcoals Artist, and owner of RLY Visuals.
Joshua Kagi, Drone Photographer, Documentarian and Video Storyteller, and owner of Grandifi Enterprises.
Made in the Lehigh Valley would also like to express gratitude to all of our first members who joined in 2023. You recognized the need for our community to have a directory like this, and your participation encouraged us to keep going. We hope you will continue to support the "shop local" scene in the Lehigh Valley along with us!
Finally, we would like to thank the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce, the Slate Belt Chamber of Commerce, Friends of Pete, 1 Million Cups, SCORE, and VentureX for the opportunities to partner and collaborate with the wonderful business owners of the Lehigh Valley. Thank you also to those Chamber members and executives who reached out to learn more.