Our Story

Welcome to Monarch Designs! Thank you so much for supporting our small business.

Monarch Designs was founded in February of 2019 by Kelsey (Stone) Singer. The business started in a spare bedroom in an apartment, specializing in porch leaners, small signs, t-shirts, and custom wedding gifts. By the end of 2019, Monarch started attending craft shows to share their work with others and was a permanent vendor in Barn n Bunk Farm Market in Trenton, Ohio. In 2020, during the pandemic, private painting parties were introduced.

By 2022, Monarch had quickly outgrown the Singer household, and was moved into the Pendleton Art Center in Downtown Middletown, Ohio. The move to the PAC was monumental in our journey. While we had been in business for 3 years at that point, the move felt like we had an official business. We now had a store for customers to physically visit us. This allowed for growth that we could never had imagined. During our time at the PAC, we outgrew studios multiple times and ended up with 2 studios at one point. However, this was still only the beginning of Monarch's growth. The summer of 2024 introduced us to 1054 Central Ave. An adorable boutique STOREFRONT directly across the street from the PAC. 1054 is the home of a beautiful stained glass business and has so much historic charm to it; from custom stained glass features throughout the building, to beautiful chandeliers that once hung in Roger's Jewelers, the beauty in this shop is endless. One beautiful summer day as I walked out of the PAC, I saw a sign in the boutique window... Business for sale. My curiosity got the better of me and I walked right over and introduced myself and asked more details. Before I knew it, I was calling my husband to discuss the future of Monarch. Later that week, we signed the lease for the boutique portion of 1054 Central. We took our time moving into the new storefront and wanted everything to be perfect. During the annual Dog Day Downtown event in September, we hosted our Soft Opening and dedicated the night to our late friend Kara Goheen. Kara was a crucial part of Monarch joining Downtown Middletown and Monarch physically would not be in a storefront today without her encouragment. The first event Monarch ever participated in was Dog Days in 2019 as a pop up tent vendor; it was only fitting for our soft opening to naturally fall on this day, as if a sign of encouragment from Kara herself. In September of 2025, we hosted a One Year Celebration ribbon cutting at the store. It still feels surreal to have a storefront on Central. A physical location right across from Governor's Square where we can watch the hustle and bustle of students and city workers walking by everyday. A place that is our home. And we owe all of it to you... our customers. Whether you have bought products, shared a post, spread the word to a friend, or simply shared words of kindness with us, you are all the reason we are here, living our dreams everyday. 

Today you can still find us at 1054 Central Ave. When you enter, you may see Kelsey painting away on a new project, sewing together bandanas, or even typing away at a laptop for website updates. You will typically find family surrounding us in the store. So many of our family members volunteer weekly in Monarch to help with the day to day duties. What started as Kelsey crafting away, has quickly grown into a full family business. But don't worry, we will never forget where we started. You will still find Monarch Designs at craft shows, as they bring us so much joy. To this day, when Jordan and I sit at a craft show, it feels like we're transported back to the beginning of this journey, and it is very special to us. 

Thank you again, for supporting our journey and supporting Monarch Designs.

We love supporting our communities and meeting everyone. 

We cannot thank you enough for visiting our business and supporting us. We still do happy dances to this day with every purchase, no matter the size. 

Thank you, 

Jordan and Kelsey Singer