Meet Ryan & Kelsey Danley | Co-Owners of Ohio Drip

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ryan & Kelsey Danley and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ryan & Kelsey, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
To Make Life Colorful. In January 2019, Ryan was in a snowmobile accident and suffered a spinal cord injury, leaving him paralyzed from the chest down. Times were tough and we were searching for a creative outlet to bring joy back into our lives. With Ryan’s limited hand function, the key was to find something we could do together.

Kelsey has been quilting since 2015 and came across the technique of ice dyeing. The process was attractive because of the beautiful watercolor patterns and long-lasting nature of the vibrant colors. She proposed dyeing fabric together to use in her quilts. We started with t-shirts first since they are less expensive than bolts of fabric. We really liked the look, and apparently our friends and family did too as they began asking for us to make shirts for them after seeing ours.

It brought us joy to see the enjoyment others were getting from our creations. We fell in love with both the ice dyeing and the happiness our creations brought others.

As time went on, we kept getting orders and kept enjoying the ride.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Both of us operate under the ‘Clark Kent’ model. We work in corporate roles by day and express ourselves creatively by night.

Ryan’s career has been in Human Resources related functions for large manufacturers. He has worked in roles ranging from Compensation and Talent Development, to Compliance & Ethics Strategy which he currently does today. In his personal life, he considers himself an explorer with hobbies ranging from podcasting and painting to music production and human psychology.

“I think what sets me apart is my ability to relate and speak with people from all walks of life. I grew up on the East Side of Youngstown, OH but went to a private Jewish school with children that had families much wealthier than mine. In my professional life, I regularly talk to executives and field inquiries from production associates. Through my experiences I have been able to see that life exists on spectrums. It exists in all colors, and that is ultimately what we want to convey with the brand. The is no one right way to do it and I believe we should all be free to express ourselves through whatever color is right for us. That’s why we made our tagline, Make Life Colorful. It’s up to you to decide what that means.“ – Ryan Danley

Kelsey grew up 12 miles from Ohio in a small town in Indiana, and met Ryan while attending college at Butler University. After college she began her professional life in the world of mall management, working with a range of business systems. She is now a program manager in Technology for a medical device company. Outside of work, Kelsey is a creator and adventurer. You can typically find her behind a sewing machine, taking a walk outside, or drinking a cup of tea. She finds much joy in creating quilted keepsakes to gift to family & friends over the years. Since learning to quilt in 2015, Kelsey has now made 30+ quilts.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
In Columbus, Ohio for food, we’ve gotta grab brunch at Dough Mama or Kona Craft Kitchen and hit the North Market at Bridge Park. In our tour of foods spots some musts do are Yats in Grandview, Katalina’s in Clintonville, and Tula Taqueria in Polaris. If you want treats, our go to spots are ice cream from Bruster’s, beignets from Way Down Yonder, or donuts from Dragon Donuts.

For entertainment, we could stroll in one of our beautiful parks like High Banks Metro Park, catch a comedian at the Funny Bone, drop in for a cooking class at Savior in Powell, or come to the Ohio Drip Studio for a drip session.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
We definitely want to shoutout Matt Rebackoff of Mr. Eatwell.

He reached out to us out of the blue after searching Google for dyers in our area. At the time, we were dripping out of our 1,200 sq ft home and Matt placed the biggest quantity order that we had ever received. Since then, we’ve continued to get to know Matt, Brooke, and the rest of their amazing team. Matt has encouraged us and mentored us in scaling our business. Through the relationship, we’ve collaborated on a few pieces that Punkie Johnson wore on Saturday Night Live, and even made shirts for the Mr. Eatwell X Duke’s Mayonnaisse. Ultimately, Matt & Company gave us the confidence to take a leap of faith and move our production into a studio space to grow our business.

Website: www.ohiodrip.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ohiodrip/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100071164938031

Other: TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@ohiodrip