Ophir Crafts brings the art of crafting to Westgate with kits and classes

Hosting international students and residents is often a learning experience, but something a Korean undergraduate student mentioned to Kate Ernsting was particularly enlightening. With all the time students spend in front of screens, they were getting together to do crafts on evenings and weeks. It was something they had experienced with their own daughter. Light bulb moment! Ernsting and her husband Gary saw a business opportunity they'd never considered before: crafting. 

 

Ophir Crafts opened in Westgate Shopping Center in early Sept., offering fair trade crafts for sale, but focusing primarily on inspiring and teaching others to craft. 

 

"We want to have people interact with culture and with other people through their craft creations," Ernsting says. "We sell products that are gifts, but we also sponsor local artists to come in and do trunk shows."

 

Ophir Crafts also sells crafting kits and offers classes on everything from knitting to greeting cards to candy making. The 1,350 square foot store is located between Nicola's Books and the Ann Arbor District Library in Westgate. 

 

The family business employs Ernsting and her husband, as well as their daughter and three other part-time workers. Ernsting plans to expand Ophir Crafts' offerings to include more crafting demonstrations in the future.