From Classroom to Creative Studio: The Unexpected Journey Behind Make-Room! Covington

If you’d told me years ago that a high school English teacher and a Therapeutic Day Treatment Counselor would one day become business partners, I probably would’ve laughed—but here we are.

I first met Leigh Ann back in 2015 while working as a TDT counselor with students in grades 8 through 12. She was an English teacher, an assistant volleyball coach at Covington High School, and—fun fact—my daughter’s teacher. At the time, I was dabbling in creativity: sketching with charcoal, painting, experimenting with epoxy, and occasionally setting up at craft shows. But it was all just a hobby—no big plans, no business dreams (yet). I honestly had no idea Leigh Ann had an artistic side until years later, when I saw her posting her own artwork online after retiring from teaching.

Over the years, we’d run into each other at community events or the Farmer’s Market, exchanging casual “how-are-you's,” but that was the extent of it—until things started to shift.

By 2018, my passion for creating had grown into something I couldn’t ignore. That’s when love.dee Creations was born. In 2020, I joined the Gauntlet program during what was also one of the hardest years of my life—losing my mom suddenly at the start of COVID-19. In 2021, I opened my first retail store. It didn’t last long—just 18 months—but the experience taught me a lot, and while I said “never again,” something in me kept going.

I refined my style, got clearer on my vision, and leaned into my creativity, doing the Gauntlet again In 2022. By 2023, I became a co-manager at the Covington Farmer’s Market—an opportunity that allowed me to connect with so many incredible creatives from the Alleghany Highlands and beyond. One of them? Leigh Ann, now the face behind Leigh Ann Woodward Art & Creations.

Our reconnection was almost serendipitous. I invited her to be a vendor at my newly reopened store, and one conversation led to another… and another. We discovered we had way more in common than we realized: a love for creating, a passion for teaching others, and a dream to build something meaningful—not just for ourselves, but for our community.

Together, we envisioned a space where creativity could flourish, where makers could connect, learn, and grow—a place for beginners and seasoned artists alike.

That vision became Make-Room! Covington.

In true ADHD fashion, I pitched the Gauntlet idea to Leigh Ann last-minute. We threw it at a few fellow creatives like spaghetti on a wall and, to our surprise, it stuck. We did the classes, attended the events, submitted our business plan, crossed all our fingers and toes, and are diving headfirst into this next chapter—hopeful, excited, and full of big dreams.

We’re building more than a business—we’re building a community.

Stick with us—we can’t wait to take you along for the ride. Updates coming soon!