Lindsay and Alex Remley Create Possibilities and Potential with Edgework Creative

Photo by LaJuana Taylor / CityPulse Columbus

Interview by Hannah Sprouse

Lindsay and Alex Remley are the husband-wife duo who own and operate Edgework Creative, continuing to strengthen their creativity and talent in the heart of Columbus. Both attended The Ohio State University and got married in 2010. After college, Alex worked his way up after 10 years at Edgework Creative to Owner and COO, and continues to fall in love with the creative and talented people that fill this community and his store. Lindsay created her own path as a freelance makeup artist, and has learned the importance of flexibility in work, commitments, and family. It is that combination of family, flexibility and potential that makes the integrated live-work lives of Lindsay and Alex so, well, creative.

Names: Lindsay Remley & Alex Remley
Age: 36
Profession: CEO (Lindsay); Owner + COO (Alex), Edgework Creative
Neighborhood: Upper Arlington
Connect: LinkedIn  (Alex)| LinkedIn (Lindsay) | Instagram | Facebook

Are you both from Columbus? What is it about this city that endears you the most?
We are both originally from Columbus, but Lindsay’s family moved to Detroit when she was in grade school. To Lindsay, Columbus has always been a second home, and her family spent a lot of time here visiting relatives and celebrating holidays. In 2000 she moved to Columbus to attend The Ohio State University and she’s been here ever since. Alex, born and raised in Clintonville, also attended The Ohio State University. We met in the fall of 2006 at a beloved Columbus bar, Bodega, and got married in 2010. We love this city, and we’re never leaving.

Tell us about your career paths.
Lindsay: I worked for Nordstrom for about 7 years (5 of those in management). During my time there I founded my business as a freelance makeup artist, which I still own and operate along with my position as CEO at Edgework Creative. I love being able to express my creativity and meet so many wonderful people.
Alex: After college, I spent 12 years with Vintage Wine Distributor, with 3 of those years also spent working on Edgework Creative projects. In my role with them, I got my start in the warehouse, picking orders and prepping shipments. After a few years, I worked my way up, earning a sales position and stayed there for my next 10 years with the company. Now, I’m living out my dream with Edgework.

What’s new and exciting at Edgework Creative? Right now we are developing an in-house line of furniture — a few pieces at a time. We want to help bring handcrafted into every home. We’ve launched our first few pieces on our new website with more coming by the end of January and then throughout the year.

What gets you up in the morning? And what gets you through your workweek? Our children and the coffee maker. Kidding (kind of). Truly the promise of possibility and our goals get us up and going. It is often said, but it’s proven very true that you will never be willing to work harder than you do for yourself and your family. We hope we are teaching our kids about hard work, dedication and filling life with purpose.

What advice or mentors have helped guide you along the way? We are lucky to have so many friends and family who are entrepreneurs. It’s proven to be important to have people so close to us understand what it means to build a business and grow with intention. Those relationships are invaluable and have helped to shape us and this business.

Explain some of your work-life balance challenges (especially raising a young family!) and how you achieve success. We have a lot of help from family in town – it truly TAKES A VILLAGE. The beauty of working for yourself is flexibility. We can take our laptops home and work in the evening if we have deadlines that need met, or bring the kids to the shop if we need to. As a family we make it a priority to sit down together for dinner almost every single night. We chat about the best parts of our days and share what we are excited about, which is generally followed by homework, games/puzzles and reading before bed.
Lindsay: Alex and I get to go out together fairly regularly to unwind and relax with each other, or with friends. We also host friends and their families in our home often. In general, we try not to over commit ourselves so we have flexibility based on how we are feeling and what we need. Sometimes that means going to bed right after the kids do.

What do you do to unwind? We love exploring new restaurants around the city. There are so many amazing and independently owned spots and there is always someplace new to explore. However, we love to host. You can’t beat dinner, drinks and connection at home with family and friends.

What might someone be surprised to know about you?
Lindsay: I also run another business on my own. I am a freelance makeup artist!
Alex: I was a graffiti artist back in the day. Yes, it’s true.

When you were a kid, what did you say you wanted to be when you grew up?
Lindsay: A tornado chaser
Alex: An architect

What books or podcasts are you reading/listening to right now?
Lindsay: Book – Tribes: we need you to lead us by Seth Godin. Podcast – How I Built This + This American Life.
Alex: Book – Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business by Gino Wickman. Podcast – TedTalks

What would your autobiography be called?
Lindsay: Why not?
Alex: Po-tential

What are a few of the top places you’d recommend to someone new to or visiting Columbus? We always tell people to check out the Short North and German Village. So many wonderful parks, shops, restaurants and it’s very walkable. Brassica is our favorite restaurant to recommend for a delicious meal while strolling the Short North.

What are some community initiatives you’re involved with and/or passionate about? We support and are involved with The Jack Roth Fund, Pelotonia and BESA here in town. There are so many great people doing great work in the community. We are also council members of the Columbus Museum of Art — we take our kids there regularly and we love it! We are passionate in supporting BESA, a locally based not-for-profit that connects people with community service opportunities in their communities. In 2019, we plan to grow our involvement with BESA and are exploring unique ways in which we can support Flying Horse Farms, a camp for kids with serious illnesses in Mt. Gilead, Ohio.

What’s the most exciting thing about Columbus right now? We love that Columbus is getting recognition and making waves. We’ve known for years, but we are finally getting some real PR and credit. We have always described the city as a place that has everything you love about a big city, but with less of the headache.

If someone were to ask you what the “pulse” of Columbus is, what would you tell them? The pulse of Columbus… hands down the people. We are a friendly city that loves and supports local business, and is filled with so many creative and talented people!