“Life is like an airplane ride. You start off on the ground, and you need some help to start flying. Once you start flying- you’re soaring high above the clouds, but every once in a while, life hits you and you come back down again. If you find yourself down on the ground, you’ve got to refuel and get back up again. Coming down doesn’t mean it’s time to end your journey- it just means it’s time to refuel.”

  This is the philosophy Euclid resident Lamar Thomas has built his business, and his life around. Thomas is one of five Euclid small business owners who elected to take part in the City of Euclid RECAST Small Business Program. The program, spearheaded by Economic Development Manager Callie Cripps, provided Thomas and his cohort with an intensive series of Retail Readiness courses aimed to set local makers up for entrepreneurial success. The makers learned accounting, pricing, marketing, advertising, and sales forecasting skills needed to take their in-home businesses to the next level.

  Now, as a graduate of the RECAST program, Thomas is eligible to move his business “Take Flight Empire” into a currently vacant storefront on Lakeshore Blvd, and have his initial 12 months of rent partially subsidized with grant money the city earmarked for economic development initiatives such as RECAST.

  “This project is a win for everyone involved” said Callie Cripps of the RECAST program. “The city gets to help local makers grow their businesses while filling long vacant storefronts, and the makers get a chance to bring their businesses out of their basements and into fresh spaces where they can really expand their operation.”

  Thomas has a vision for his Take Flight Empire storefront, but his real vision has little to do with his physical products. “I built this to remind people you can always just take flight again,” Thomas said of his brand, “I think the concept is pretty universal because everyone gets that grounded feeling every once in a while, no matter who you are.”

  Take Flight Empire, founded by Thomas and his business partners Aaron Kinney and Phillip Jennings, plans to sell tee-shirts, sweat-shirts, masks, tote-bags and various soft goods with their unique “Take Flight” messaging. A sampling of these products will be available at the RECAST Holiday Pop Up Tent set up during the City of Euclid Holiday Lighting Ceremony on December 3^rd as an opportunity to introduce Euclid to these unique local makers, and give the community their chance to purchase Made in Euclid goods.

  For more information about Lamar Thomas and Take Flight Empire- please visit takeflightempire.org

  For more information about the RECAST Program, and the other makers bringing their Made in Euclid products to Lakeshore Blvd, please check future issues of the Euclid Observer, and the City of Euclid social media outlets. There will be lots more to come.