2023 Business at the Barn is bigger than ever

BRUNSWICK — This year's Business at the Barn offered even more food, vendors and networking opportunities than in past years. Business at the Barn is an annual networking event held by the Northern Medina County Chamber Alliance that takes place at the barn at Mapleside Farms in Brunswick. This year's event took place Wednesday, and near the end there was free public admission. Sarah Eisenmann from Gerber Collision and Glass is a co-chair for Business at the Barn. She said this year's event is larger than previous years, with more vendors and a larger space. For the first time, some of the vendors were placed in the silos right outside the barn. This year, 88 vendors participated in the event, while there were 75 vendors last year, she said. The vendors range from businesses like senior living facilities, entertainment centers and marketing agencies to public organizations like the Brunswick Recreation Center, the Medina County Park District and the Medina County Office for Older Adults. There were also four more food vendors this year, bringing the total up to 14, Eisenmann said. Food and beverage options like pizza, baked goods, smoothies and coffee were served during the event. "It's a sold-out event every year," she said. "Even with the increase in tables available, we sold out again this year." Lyn Charek works for Dollar Bank and is a committee member for Business at the Barn. She said it feels good to see the event be so successful and have high participation with local businesses. "Everybody gets an idea of all the vendors that are in one place," she said. "All the businesses can see what they can offer in one spot in one afternoon." Eisenmann said the event allows chamber members to interact with one another in a more personal way than emailing or calling each other. "So many people that are members in the chamber want this networking and face-to-face interaction," she said. "It's a great opportunity for us to meet new businesses in the community because Brunswick is blooming with new businesses." Contact reporter Madisyn Woodring at (330) 721-4049 or mwoodring@medina-gazette.com.