Vendor Spotlight: Rayclift Design

Sometimes all it takes is a radio ad, a last-minute application, and a willingness to figure things out as you go. 

That’s all it took for Brittany and Dennis to start their Rayclift Design journey with Horton Farmers’ Market.

After hearing an advertisement on 94.1 MyFM for the regular season at Horton, Brittany and Dennis Clift decided to take a chance and apply for the Wednesday pilot program in 2024. At the time, they had no polished business plan, no long vendor resume, and in their words, “no real business, product, or clue of how to be a vendor.” They applied anyway. The approval email arrived. Cue the scramble. 

What began as an impulsive leap powered by a desire to create and reconnect has grown into Rayclift Design - a handmade business known for leatherwork, crocheted works, wearable pieces, and delightful unexpected finds that stand out from the crowd. For Brittany and Dennis, it also became a creative outlet during a season of life shaped by young children and busy schedules. 

Although Rayclift Design officially joined Horton Farmers' Market in 2024, their roots stretch back to 2019 when Dennis first began exploring leatherwork in Windsor. The business may have evolved over the years, but its focus has remained the same: creating handmade pieces that can’t simply be purchased at a box store or added to an online shopping cart. 

The name Rayclift traces back to a trip to the Bahamas, where Brittany and Dennis spent hours watching a massive manta ray, who was being rehabilitated at the time, swim through the aquarium at Atlantis Resort. When they returned home, they blended “Ray” from the manta ray with their last name - and just like that, Rayclift was born. ​

The business itself has never fit neatly into a single category. Part leather shop, part fiber arts studio, part creative experiment, Rayclift Design reflects the belief that people, and businesses, don’t have to fit into a neat box to be successful.

​Long before regular market Saturdays and upcoming Renaissance Faire appearances, Dennis began teaching himself leatherworking in 2019, driven by a desire to create alternative leather goods at an affordable price point. Brittany’s crochet journey began years later during maternity leave in 2023, when a creative hobby quietly transformed into a business of its own. What started as a passion project soon became something much bigger, helping reignite a sense of creativity that both Brittany and Dennis felt had been missing since the pandemic and the start of their growing family. One of the most daunting parts of entrepreneurship for Brittany and Dennis was starting without any roadmap. They had no established supplier network, no industry contacts, and little experience with the crafts themselves.

Neither expected entrepreneurship to be part of the plan. After moving to Windsor in 2010 for  post-secondary studies, Dennis in Musical Theatre and Brittany in History, they imagined futures in performance and teaching - not leather hides, yarn collections, and supplier searches. Through YouTube tutorials, trial and error, advice from fellow artisans, and plenty of persistence, they built their business from scratch. 

And when I say from scratch, I mean from scratch. Every Rayclift Design piece is handmade without a single machine involved. This also allows them to customize each piece - especially their wearable items. Leather goods are crafted from chrome tan and vegetable-tanned hides sourced through suppliers across the globe, while much of their crochet yarn gets a second life through donated and secondhand collections. Today, much of their leather is sourced through OA Leather in Saskatoon, giving them access to quality hides from tanneries around the world. Whenever possible, Brittany sources yarn from former hobbyists and downsizing crafters, giving materials a new purpose while keeping creativity and sustainability intertwined. Finding reliable suppliers was one of the many lessons learned along the way, but building those relationships has become an important part of creating quality handmade products that last.

​Their work is rooted in transformation - turning raw materials into something wearable, useful, whimsical, or wonderfully hard to explain to someone shopping for tomatoes. Thankfully, Horton shoppers have embraced it all. Dennis explains, “even the weekly patrons who may not have understood why we were making a leather plague doctor mask and steampunk goggles embraced us with smiles and support.”​

For Brittany and Dennis, Horton Farmers’ Market has become much more than a place to sell products. After moving back to St. Thomas in May of 2023 to be closer to family, the market, being only a few blocks from their home at the time, offered a way to reconnect with their hometown - this time as adults, artists, entrepreneurs, and parents. It also introduced them to a community of farmers, artisans, vendors, and customers who were eager to support local creativity.

Now entering their third Horton season, they’re balancing growing market calendars, nine Renaissance Fairs across Ontario, full-time jobs, and what they affectionately call their “ever-growing tiny humans", they also happily accept custom orders whenever possible, working with customers to create personalized pieces as long as the materials and patterns can be sourced. ​ 

Their advice for anyone dreaming about starting a business? Just start. “It can be intimidating and terrifying,” Dennis explains, “but unless you take your idea and actually start, it will just be an idea.” They also encourage aspiring entrepreneurs to give themselves room to fail, experiment, and change direction. After all, Rayclift Design itself was built through trial and error, countless lessons, and a willingness to keep learning. For those interested in textile arts specifically, they recommend finding quality suppliers, building new connections wherever possible, and not waiting for the perfect product, material, or idea before getting started. 

​As Brittany and Dennis put it, “to anyone wondering if their dream is worth trying, here is a big fist bump with sparkles to say absolutely it is!” Brittany and Dennis are incredibly grateful for the support they’ve received along the way and hope their creations have brought joy, creativity, and a little fun to everyone who has welcomed a piece of Rayclift into their lives. ​

Have a question or simply want to learn more? Brittany and Dennis are always happy to chat! You can find Rayclift Design at the Horton Farmers’ Market this season, on the Renaissance Faire circuit, and on their website.

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Kate Hanslip, Summer Marketing Assistant ​

Kate is a recent social sciences graduate from Western University and currently a marketing student at Fanshawe College. Having grown up in St. Thomas, she brings a love of history and storytelling to her work where she enjoys highlighting the people, businesses, and stories that shape the community. In her free time, she enjoys watching movies, exploring local trails, and experimenting in the kitchen. ​