By: Abbi Heckel

Every town has a beating heart that continues to spread joy and light throughout the community. This year Living Simply Soap is that heart. Whether you’re a fan of earthy scents or bubbly fun scents Living Simply has a scent for everyone and they are always working diligently to create more one-of-a-kind smells that you can’t resist. But Living Simply had to start somewhere and with a special mind behind the brand.

Tanya Brown first concocted the idea for soap-making when she stumbled across a half-priced book that entailed how to create soap. At first this book was collecting dust until one day while Tanya’s ill brother was staying with her she had the idea to try making soap as a fun activity. To her surprise it worked. In fact, she loved the experience and wanted to make more. Tanya gathered more supplies and got to work. She debuted her soaps at the Tipp City Farmers Market and she was a hit! This prompted her to visit the Farmers Market regularly and she kept growing her business until she decided a store front was the next step.

She managed to grab one of the beautiful downtown business fronts and she and her husband got to work. They have now been in business for fifteen years and are going strong. But they needed a little extra help because carrying barrels of product upstairs was no easy feat.

In 2018 Tanya was able to purchase a manufacturing location on North Fourth Street in Tipp to help the soap making process smoother for herself as well as her workers. This was going very well until a sudden fire broke out in the main building and all of her inventory was lost.

Thanks to the Watsons, Tanya was able to take time to rebuild their storefront property while selling soaps out of the hotel gallery in order to keep the business flowing. Tanya and her employees worked tirelessly remodeling the building. The rebuild wasn’t an easy process but when all was said and done Living Simply Soap was even better than before and re-opened at the end of the year right before Winter’s Gathering.

Living Simply Soap has earned their place in the community as well as our hearts. Tanya Brown considers herself a “maker” and we believe she truly lives up to that name. Most of the items you will find in Living Simply are hand made with the exception of only a few products. Tanya is also very keen on getting suggestions and input from customers and making their ideas come to fruition.

Tipp City is proud to have Living Simply Soap in their community and even more so proud to have Tanya Brown and her family. If you’re interested in checking out everything Living Simply Soap has to offer you can visit the storefront at 112 E Main St, Tipp City, OH 45371 or checking out their online shop at https://www.livingsimplysoap.com

By: Abbi Heckel

The latest episode of the Downtown Lowdown Podcast brings a festive spirit and a strong message of community investment as hosts Tasha Weaver and Greg Enslen sit down with special guest Mike McDermott to talk about all things green and all things growth ahead of this year’s St. Paddy’s Day Beer Crawl.

Hosted by the Downtown Tipp City Partnership, the annual St. Paddy’s Day Beer Crawl returns to historic downtown Tipp City on Saturday, March 7, from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. The event blends Irish-inspired fun with a meaningful investment in the city’s small business community.

During the episode, McDermott, who serves as the organization’s Economic Development Chair, shared how the event has grown into more than just a seasonal celebration.

“Events like the St. Paddy’s Day Beer Crawl creates both immediate activity and long-term momentum for our downtown,” McDermott said. “When people choose to spend an evening in downtown Tipp City, they are supporting small businesses and investing in the future of our community.”

Participants in the March 7 crawl will stroll through downtown, visiting participating businesses to enjoy 4-ounce pours of beer, cider, and seltzers. Each ticket includes 12 tasting tickets with each ticket redeemable for a 4-ounce pour along with a commemorative pint glass.

The event is designed to encourage attendees to explore a variety of storefronts while sampling unique flavors in a lively, social atmosphere. Weaver and Enslen noted on the podcast that the crawl has become a favorite winter-to-spring tradition, giving residents a reason to gather and celebrate before the warmer festival season begins.

Ticket prices are set at $40 and $50, with a limited number available at the door for $45. Organizers are projecting a sellout at 200 attendees and strongly encourage purchasing tickets in advance. You can purchase tickets online by searching: https://downtowntippcity.org/wp-event/st-paddys-day-beer-crawl-2/

While the Beer Crawl promises a fun evening out, its deeper purpose lies in economic development. Proceeds directly support the Downtown Tipp City Partnership’s initiatives aimed at strengthening downtown businesses, increasing year-round foot traffic, and creating memorable experiences that keep both residents and visitors coming back.

On the podcast, Enslen emphasized that events like this play a critical role in maintaining a vibrant downtown district, especially in smaller communities where local spending has a direct and visible impact.

The 2026 Beer Crawl is presented by Pathways Wealth Management. Additional sponsors include Mauk Cabinets by Design, Abbey Credit Union, Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP, Bash Foo, American Air Care, and Main Street Financial Group Thrivent.

Their support ensures a high-quality experience for attendees while advancing the Downtown Tipp City Partnership’s broader mission.

As the Downtown Lowdown episode makes clear, the St. Paddy’s Day Beer Crawl is more than an evening of tastings; it's a toast to community pride, small business resilience, and the continued growth of downtown Tipp City. With tickets expected to sell quickly, organizers are encouraging early registration to secure a spot in one of the community’s most spirited events of the year.

By: Abbi Heckel

Every town has a beating heart that continues to spread joy and light throughout the community. This year Living Simply Soap is that heart. Whether you’re a fan of earthy scents or bubbly fun scents Living Simply has a scent for everyone and they are always working diligently to create more one-of-a-kind smells that you can’t resist. But Living Simply had to start somewhere and with a special mind behind the brand.

Tanya Brown first concocted the idea for soap-making when she stumbled across a half-priced book that entailed how to create soap. At first this book was collecting dust until one day while Tanya’s ill brother was staying with her she had the idea to try making soap as a fun activity. To her surprise it worked. In fact, she loved the experience and wanted to make more. Tanya gathered more supplies and got to work. She debuted her soaps at the Tipp City Farmers Market and she was a hit! This prompted her to visit the Farmers Market regularly and she kept growing her business until she decided a store front was the next step.

She managed to grab one of the beautiful downtown business fronts and she and her husband got to work. They have now been in business for fifteen years and are going strong. But they needed a little extra help because carrying barrels of product upstairs was no easy feat.

In 2018 Tanya was able to purchase a manufacturing location on North Fourth Street in Tipp to help the soap making process smoother for herself as well as her workers. This was going very well until a sudden fire broke out in the main building and all of her inventory was lost.

Thanks to the Watsons, Tanya was able to take time to rebuild their storefront property while selling soaps out of the hotel gallery in order to keep the business flowing. Tanya and her employees worked tirelessly remodeling the building. The rebuild wasn’t an easy process but when all was said and done Living Simply Soap was even better than before and re-opened at the end of the year right before Winter’s Gathering.

Living Simply Soap has earned their place in the community as well as our hearts. Tanya Brown considers herself a “maker” and we believe she truly lives up to that name. Most of the items you will find in Living Simply are hand made with the exception of only a few products. Tanya is also very keen on getting suggestions and input from customers and making their ideas come to fruition.

Tipp City is proud to have Living Simply Soap in their community and even more so proud to have Tanya Brown and her family. If you’re interested in checking out everything Living Simply Soap has to offer you can visit the storefront at 112 E Main St, Tipp City, OH 45371 or checking out their online shop at https://www.livingsimplysoap.com

By Abigail Heckel

Who doesn’t love stickers? Especially stickers created by students right here in Tipp City! On this episode of the Downtown Lowdown Host Tasha Weaver interviews the lucky winners of the Downtown Tipp City Partnership sticker designing competition.

What is the Middle School Sticker Project?

An idea was sparked to help students take steps in learning the art of graphic design from an early age. What better way to reward hard work than to have the students compete in creativity and showcase what they have learned than to have the winning designs featured on stickers that will be available for the community to buy. Now that is something to brag about!

How to Support the Downtown Tipp City Partnership

It’s important to create an environment for the young minds of our community to be able to express their creativity. Be sure to support the Downtown Tipp City Partnership by visiting their website https://downtowntippcity.org/. See what events are coming up in the future and help contribute to keeping our Downtown beautiful.

By: Abbi Heckel

What are the Downtown Awards?

The Downtown Tipp City Partnership aims to highlight our beautiful downtown businesses by presenting awards voted by the community to the winners. December 1st through December 30th the community picks out the winners of the Downtown Awards at a dinner event held at the Tipp Centre. The night will start off being MC’d by Lisa Santucci. Upcoming projects will be announced but the best part of the night is giving away the awards to the winning downtown businesses. This year was full of surprises and highlighting the must-stop shops in town.

The Winners of the 2025 Downtown Awards

The public library won the non-profit award with the Clothesline as the close runner up. The 2025 Cheers to Excellence best downtown Restaurant award goes to Coldwater Cafe! Be sure to check out their menu and have a taste of excellence. The best downtown Libation award was given to Harrisons. The best downtown shopping spot award went to none other than Living Simply soap. Living Simply soap was actually presented with the Heart of the Downtown award due to a submission recommending them to win the Heart of the Downtown by another business owner. The best salon downtown award was presented to the Hair Bar. The 2025 service excellence award was given to the Yoga Bar & Company. The Cheers to Excellence downtown business award was presented to Bodega, everyone's favorite place to get a brown bag dinner. The best new business of the year was awarded to Seven Sisters Apothecary. Be sure to check out their herbal remedies and wonderful vibes. A special congratulations goes to Midwest Memories, the thrifter's dream, for celebrating 25 years of being located in the Tipp City area. With different booths full of history and mystery you’re sure to pick up something special. Reed Spencer was acknowledged for his 20 years of service to the downtown. The final award was the 2025 Cheers to Excellence award for the Best Volunteer goes to none other than Joanna Pittenger. Congratulations to all of the 2025 Cheers of Excellence Awards Winners.

How to get Involved in the Downtown

Visit the Downtown Tipp City Partnership so you can get more involved in our community and give back to our beautiful town. If you can’t give money, you may be interested in contributing your time and that makes all of the difference when it comes to keeping Tipp City special. Be sure to vote for your favorite businesses and people next December to show your appreciation.

Catching Up with the Tippecanoe Gazette

By Abigail Heckel

On this episode of the Downtown Lowdown Host Tasha Weaver interviews Greg Enslen the owner and publisher of our very own Tippecanoe Gazette. In a world where modernization and social media have taken over, we sometimes need to take a step back to enjoy the simpler things in life. There is nothing quite like reading the weekly newspaper with a fresh cup of coffee in hand and learning about the ongoings in our quaint town.

It’s no mystery that the Tippecanoe Gazette is a step above the rest, but they always find a way to outdo themselves. The Tippecanoe Gazette was awarded the best downtown business of the year by the Downtown Tipp City Partnership as well as the Best Newspaper in Ohio. It’s a well-deserved reward for the hard work and dedication that goes on behind the scenes of the Gazette.

How can you give back to the community and keep the paper running strong? The Tippecanoe Gazette thrives on local advertising sales and newspaper subscriptions so be sure to subscribe to the paper today at https://www.tippgazette.com/ for only $99 per year. If you have a small business or event you are interested in advertising in the paper or on the Gazette website, you just have to visit the website and click on the purchase tab to start working with the Gazette staff on your future ad.

The Gazette also highlights school achievements as well as all of the fun activities and events scheduled for the year that you may not have heard about otherwise. Everything from the Mum Festival to holiday events are highlighted in the Tippecanoe Gazette.

Social media gives you the doom and gloom sides of life, but the Tippecanoe Gazette keeps you in the know of all sorts of upcoming events and focuses on the brighter side of the news. Do you have something you’re interested in writing about? Did you know you can be a part of the paper yourself! All you have to do is email your stories to tippline@tippgazette.com. We hope to see your stories and businesses in the newspaper.

By: Abbi Heckel

Puppies, kittens, and lipsyncing oh my! On the newest episode of the Downtown Lowdown, host Tasha Weaver and guest Greg Enslen talk about how MCPAW, a non-profit organization, is hosting an ultra fun event to raise money for the Miami County Animal Shelter in Troy, Ohio. Six teams of talented superstars will lip sync with all their hearts to help gain funds so the shelter can have some necessary upgrades to help make their furry residents even happier as they wait for their forever homes.

Last year MCPAW debuted their first ever Sync for the Shelter and it was an absolute hit! With how much fun and funds they raised they knew they wanted to try again for the year 2026. So on April 11th you can support MCPAW in their goal to help create the safest and happiest environment for the animals at Miami County Animal Shelter.

Tickets for the evening show sold like wildfire and they now are sold completely out. This is great news for MCPAW as well as people who prefer afternoon activities because there are still tickets for the Matinee available. If you are interested in supporting Tasha and MCPAW and donating to help the Miami County Animal Shelter you can visit https://downtowntippcity.org/team-tipp-city/ to learn how you can contribute.

By: Abbi Heckel

This week's episode of the Downtown Lowdown podcast turned its focus to one of downtown’s most anticipated tasting events, the Chocolate & Bourbon Experience. Hosts Tasha Weaver and Greg Enslen welcomed guests Kristen Bayliff of Tony’s Bada Bing bar and Sheri from Granite Transformations to discuss how the event blends local business, flavor, and community spirit. During the episode, the group highlighted the collaborative effort behind the experience and the role downtown merchants play in creating a unique night out.

The event begins at Mauk Cabinets by Design, where participants check in and receive their event materials and a map for the night’s stops. From there, guests stroll through downtown, sampling a variety of chocolates provided by local merchants and service providers. Each sweet stop is paired with bourbon tastings at designated DORA locations, allowing attendees to enjoy the event while exploring downtown’s walkable atmosphere.

Weaver and Enslen also emphasized the educational component that sets the Chocolate & Bourbon Experience apart. Bourbon education is provided by Hayner Distilling Co. at Mauk Cabinets by Design, giving guests insight into the craft and history behind the spirits they’re tasting. Many attendees, as noted on the podcast, choose to return to Mauk Cabinets by Design later in the evening to conclude their experience with a deeper appreciation for bourbon and the local businesses that make the event possible.

Get more information and your tickets now at DowntownTippCity.Org so you won’t miss out on this tasty extravaganza!