DAYTON, Ohio — Ann Puckett has been working on a new pillow project at the AR Workshop in Centerville. Puckett is the store's owner. Growing up, she used to do DIY and craft projects with her parents. That’s what inspired her to open this AR shop back in 2019. 

“I had always wanted to open up a company in some way (or) a business, and I had an idea in the back of my head of having a place where people could come in and do different projects,” said Puckett. 

Business here at the AR was going well until the pandemic hit. It presented several challenges.

“Our biggest one was just not being able to be in person because our workshops are the best when they are best when they are in person,” she said. “Because you come in and you pick a project, and we walk you through all of those steps from color selection to assembly.”

This wasn’t a challenge for long. Puckett and her crew got creative and began creating DIY To-Go Kits. It comes with everything you need to craft a project at home. 

“Just a way to express your creativity and to break the monotony of boredom or anything,” said Puckett. “There’s so many studies shown of just being creative, just doing something with your hands or something with color, will just brighten up your mood emotionally.”

Addison Bolton, 8, really enjoys working on these DIY-To-Go Kits. She’s been working on an Easter project. 

“For the most part, I enjoy about this is it just relaxes me down and I feel safe," said Bolton. “Me and my aunt love crafting, and it’s just fun when I do it with her.”

The AR Workshop in Centerville has sold more than 500 kits so far. They hope to sell even more and continue offering these projects even after the pandemic is over. 

“Really makes us feel awesome just to know that we can provide something fun and creative to do at home,” said Puckett. “We love all of our customers who either send pictures, tag us, or come in with different projects that they’ve done and it’s really neat to see.”

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