All photos courtesy Clutch MOV
“I moved back still harboring those feelings,
but instead found a community on the rise.”
When I first left the Mid-Ohio Valley for college across state, I had no plans of returning. I had nothing in particular against my hometown, just dreams of ‘making it’ in the big city as an architect or high-end designer.
When a family tragedy called me back home in 2012, I gave myself six months before I had planned to take off again, this time my sights were set on the west coast.
Growing up in the Mid-Ohio Valley, many of us felt like our hometowns were something to escape from – that to stay meant failure.
I moved back still harboring those feelings, but instead found a community on the rise.
I started to see creative movements and young professionals doing amazing things right here – the same movements that had attracted me to bigger cities out of state. I started to realize that big things can happen in small towns, too – and that we have the same ability to harness this creative energy to do something new and exciting. And so I did.
Throughout and after my college career, I had dabbled in blogging and was competent enough with design software to be dangerous. Inspired by a free-print magazine I had enjoyed while living in Cincinnati, I decided to launch an online lifestyle magazine for the Mid-Ohio Valley – something that captured the best of what was happening here in such a way that it exceeded the expectations that others might hold for this region. I enlisted the help of a few passionate local women to help and we got to work creating the brand of what is now Clutch MOV.
We spent the first year quietly building content, figuring out how to structure something like this, and planning for a public launch. In the beginning, most of the content was created by myself and Mallory Greenham, the former director of ReStore Marietta, with other articles pulled in from friends and community members.
As our reputation grew following our launch, so did our ranks. I am happy to say that we now have more than 40 volunteer writers on staff.
“Our mission is to do more than just promote the Mid-Ohio Valley
– we are actively and passionately trying to make it a better place.”
Although the written content plays a large role in what we do, visuals are equally important to Clutch MOV.
We live in a beautiful area, rich with texture and vibrant scenery. I wanted to establish quality social media streams that not only captured this beauty, but built upon it – encouraging others to document and share their experiences. We also recruited a handful of talented local photographers to make sure our content really stood out – we are not just a website after all, we are a magazine.
Over the past two years, we have published hundreds of articles online, hosted a number of free community events, published our first two print issues, partnered with local revitalization efforts and service groups, and established ourselves as a primary source of positive, interesting local content.
As we enter our third year, we are getting ready to launch a product line of Mid-Ohio Valley positive products that are fresh, modern and well-designed.
Our mission is to do more than just promote the Mid-Ohio Valley – we are actively and passionately trying to make it a better place.
For more on Clutch MOV:
- Visit our website: www.clutchmov.com
- Find us on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/clutchmov/
- Follow us on Instagram: http://instagram.com/clutchmov
- Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/clutchmov
- Sign up for our email newsletter: http://clutchmov.com/subscribe/
Where do I go to order the PBURG shirt?
Pamela,
Hello! We are currently preparing to launch our product line and online store early next month! The PBURG shirt as well as a number of other Parkerburg shirts and items will be available – hopefully by Mid-February. We will post a big announcement on our facebook page as soon as it’s live – thank you for your interest!
Best,
Sarah