Local Artist Megan Owdom-Weitz opened Megan Lee Designs in Westerville three years ago. Today, the uptown studio-retail space offers her own screen-printed apparel alongside other artisan goods. The shop is located at 20-22 E. College Ave. and is open Wednesday through Saturday.
Owdom-Weitz studied design at Kent State, and moved to Chicago to work in the marketing world. She started making little crafts for fun and attending craft fairs. She created sock animals, which she called Lucky Socklets, that became very popular.
In 2005 Owdom-Weitz took a screen-printing class and fell in love with the art form. She spent a few years designing, creating, and printing totes and other crafty items, and in 2009 she decided to combine her creative passions with her business background and launched into the art world full-time.
Three years later, her husband Erik joined her business full-time, running the sales and business side while she continued to design and create art. Once the husband-and-wife business team started to have kids, they decided to move back to their roots in Ohio to be near family.
In 2016, they opened Megan Lee Designs in Westerville. A year later, they moved to their current location in uptown. The space is part studio, part retail. Customers can watch the screen-printing process while browsing the shop’s collection.
Owdom-Weitz’s first design she ever printed was her still-popular “Midwest is Best” heart. Today, she has expanded her design collection to feature state art, whimsical phrases, animals, and Westerville pride apparel. Designs are printed on mugs, t-shirts, sweatshirts, towels, and baby body suits. Owdom-Weitz also works with customers to create custom pieces.
In addition to her own creations, Megan Lee Designs also carries art by other artists. Jewelry from Nice Lena, Veronica Riley Marens, and Pajaro Negro can be found alongside leather goods from Eupena Misc., Squasht by Les hats, and wood signs from JMO Woodworking.
Owdom-Weitz’s products can found at her studio in Westerville, Wholly Craft, and the Craftin’ Outlaws craft fair, as well as in her online shop.
For more information, visit MeganLeeDesigns.com.