Although jewelry maker Heather Moore moved into her rehabbed Midtown studio earlier this year, she's still getting used to her spacious new digs.

Maybe that's because she's spent the last 11 years running her fast-growing business out of her house. Granted, it was no ordinary home office: the Cleveland Institute of Art grad bought her great-grandmother's estate, a rambling Heights mansion, after moving back from New York City in 1999.

"We just couldn't grow anymore -- I had 45 employees working out of my house," says Moore, whose company, Heather B. Moore Jewelry, specializes in custom-made, personalized jewelry that she sells to more than 150 retailers around the world. "The workshop was in the basement, while sales and marketing were in the attic. If we needed to have a private conversation, we had to use one of my kids' bedrooms."

To accommodate her growth, Moore recently bought and renovated a former crane-making factory at 4502 Prospect Avenue, bringing 45 new jobs to Cleveland. In her renovation, Moore reused as much of the building as she could, including leftover crane parts that were repurposed into a dining room table that now graces the large kitchen.

Moore's building renovation included removing ceilings to create a lofted second-floor office, installing new windows, and turning an old garage door into a light-filled window. Future plans include an art gallery, new patio and roof garden.

When asked about her decision to relocate to Midtown, Moore says, "There's so much industry in Cleveland that you can take advantage of. A lot of what we do mixes old school techniques with newer technologies, so this is a great place to be."

Heather B. Moore Jewelry has become known not only for its work -- Moore builds relationships with her clients to draw out their stories and create highly personalized jewelry -- but also for its sustainable business model. The company uses 100-percent recycled materials in their products.

Now that she's settled into her new studio, Moore is soaking up the extra legroom -- and she also doesn't mind the short commute. "It's seven minutes from my house," she says.

Source: Heather Moore
Writer: Lee Chilcote