We’re Morgan and Ryan — I’m a certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA), and Ryan’s a state trooper with the Ohio State Highway Patrol. Together, we somehow turned our love of decorating into a growing home decor business. Our careers couldn’t be more different from each other — or further from anything related to retail — which makes this adventure all the more unexpected and exciting.
Rust & Cinder officially began in 2023, but the idea was quietly building long before that. We’ve always enjoyed making our house feel like a home — one full of meaning, comfort, and personality. But every time we went looking for pieces that felt special, we came up short. Local options were limited, and the big-box stores just didn’t reflect the kind of home we wanted to create. One evening in November 2022, I looked at Ryan while we were Christmas shopping, I shrugged my shoulders, and said, “We could do this.” That moment sparked everything. After a few sleepless nights of sorting out the details and brainstorming names, we registered the LLC and were officially on our way.
We had absolutely no retail background — unless you count shopping — but we dove in headfirst. Every order in that first year was packed from our home: the garage, the basement, and even the spare bedroom turned into a giant inventory warehouse. We shipped out online orders from our kitchen table for well over a year. It was chaos in the best way. As our business grew, so did our need for space (and sanity). In 2024, we got the keys to our first warehouse. By 2025, we unlocked the doors to a second, giving us the room to keep building and dreaming bigger.
While we don’t have a Rust & Cinder brick and mortar store, we do have a physical presence inside a new retail location in Navarre, Ohio called Merchants on Main. Merchants on Main has been a wonderful way to connect with local customers and meet new ones too! We love the energy of in-person markets that we particpate in throughout Ohio. The conversations, the stories, the smiles — that’s what fuels us. But we’re just as grateful for our growing online community that’s stretched across the United States — and even a few international packages that snuck their way across borders. Whether you meet us under a market tent or find us online, we want you to feel like part of something small, intentional, and thoughtfully curated.
At Rust & Cinder, we believe your home should be a treasure chest of living — because every mantel, shelf, and corner deserves a story. We're here to help you find the pieces that feel right, the ones that spark joy, curiosity, and comfort. Quality finds for curious minds, always.
- Morgan & Ryan
