Makers Social After Shark Tank: Can a Columbus DIY Bar Work in a Second City?

A group of friends can agree on a night out long before they agree on an activity. One wants to make jewelry. Another would rather work with wood. A third would happily come along for a drink. At Makers Social in Columbus, Ohio, all three can book the same table. The first decision they have to make together is when to show up.

Megan Pando borrowed a familiar routine from restaurants. Guests sit down, open a menu and order. Along with the drinks, a project leader brings tools, materials and instructions for whatever each person wants to make. That freedom solves a problem for the guest and creates one for the owner. A single employee might need to help with wire wrapping, leather stamping and a woodworking project during the same visit.

By the time Pando appeared on Shark Tank Season 17, she had spent years learning how to run that room. Kevin O’Leary’s offer put a price on the question she faced next. Could another team run a second room just as well?

Product snapshot

What is Makers Social?

Makers Social is a workshop where guests order crafts the way they might order dinner. Its menu has more than 30 choices. Each guest gets the supplies for one project and can use the venue’s tools. A staff member helps at the table. Friends can work at different speeds, and someone who wants to socialize can join without making anything.

The Columbus venue where Makers Social hosts DIY projects and private events. Photo: Makers Social.

The menu gives guests two pieces of information that matter once they sit down. It rates difficulty and duration separately. A concrete planter can be easy for a beginner and still take time to finish. Someone who wants to talk through most of a first date might choose differently from someone who came specifically to learn a new skill.

That distinction showed up in an Axios Columbus reporter’s visit. She chose a $54 wire-wrapped gemstone necklace and credited her server with helping her through the project. One visit gives a limited view of customer sentiment, but it captures something a menu photograph can’t show. The price buys access to someone who knows what to do when the wire won’t cooperate.

Who founded Makers Social?

Megan Pando studied fine arts at the University of Cincinnati and minored in entrepreneurship. She remembered the company of friends working late in the university studios. A work placement with a studio artist also showed her how solitary making art could be. Her eventual business gave customers a way to spend that creative time together.

Megan Pando, founder of Makers Social.

Pando first tested the idea of a paid creative outing at Studio 614, her Columbus paint-and-sip business. She told the University of Cincinnati that she used profits from that business to build Makers Social. Running the studio gave her experience with the part of the job few guests see, from preparing materials to helping a roomful of people finish what they started.

“I knew I wanted to create a business in the arts.”

— Megan Pando, University of Cincinnati, May 2026

The new venue opened in February 2020, just before pandemic restrictions disrupted in-person gatherings. Pando later described selling project kits online and offering virtual art classes to keep people working. Another Season 17 business, Shalom Japan, packaged part of its restaurant experience into a kit people could use at home. For a founder who had built the idea around sharing a table, that was a practical test of which parts of the experience could travel home with a customer.

What happened to Makers Social on Shark Tank?

Pando asked for $150,000 for 10% to help open a second location. She put the Sharks to work personalizing leather wallets. The activity made the customer experience easy to grasp. The financial question took longer. Sleepy Baby and Bon AppéSweet appeared in the same episode with products customers could take home. Makers Social needed investors to picture another venue, including the people who would operate it.

Episode coverage puts Pando’s reported sales at $504,000 in 2023 and $546,000 in 2024. She also reported $41,000 left after expenses and her own pay. On those figures, sales rose about 8.3%, and roughly $7.50 remained from each $100 of 2024 revenue. Both calculations describe the original operation during that period. Opening another location would bring a new lease, a new payroll and a new neighborhood to win over.

Kendra Scott asked about expansion. A franchise would give a local operator responsibility for delivering an experience Pando had developed herself. Rashaun Williams also passed, and neither Lori Greiner nor Robert Herjavec made an offer. O’Leary had invested in the paint-and-sip company Wine & Design and recognized the model. Pando countered before accepting his terms. Columbus Business First confirmed the core terms in its interview with Pando. Episode accounts also describe a provision tied to money distributed to owners.

Deal snapshot

How does Makers Social make money?

The project is the main purchase. Drinks can add to the bill, and private bookings let one organizer bring in a group. The business also offers gift cards. A seat occupied for two hours can generate a craft sale and drink orders, but it also ties up space and draws on the attention of a project leader.

The reported $62 average ticket helps explain the model. A guest can reach that figure with a single higher-priced project. What the owner keeps depends on the materials, the time spent at the table and how much help the guest needs. An inexpensive piece of leather can become a costly project to deliver if several beginners need help with the same step at once.

Business model snapshot

What happened after Shark Tank?

Latest update — November 12, 2026. Makers Social lists Columbus reservations, private events and a priced project menu. The address readers can verify is 461 W. Rich St. The company has discussed Cincinnati as an expansion market. A second opening date, current annual profit and the amount of any investment received remain undisclosed in the sources reviewed.

Pando described a pickup in business during her February iHeart interview. She expected to hire more staff and was still looking for another site. Asked about O’Leary, she explained that substantive conversations began after the episode aired. She gave no closing date. Her distinction matters to anyone trying to trace what television changed for the company.

“I haven't found my second location yet.”

— Megan Pando, iHeart Columbus, February 26, 2026

In May, the University of Cincinnati reported that Pando hoped to secure space in Cincinnati. The article also described the televised deal in broad terms. Its account supports her interest in that city. It supplies neither a street address for a new venue nor confirmation from the parties that funds changed hands.

The Columbus booking options show how the original venue can serve more than one market. The company advertises comfortable seating for 60 at private events and an overall capacity of 80. Those figures matter to someone organizing a company outing. They also explain why a bigger room is only part of the expansion decision. An organizer can reserve the entire venue, then have dozens of guests order different projects at once.

Current status evidence

Company timeline

Where can you book Makers Social, and what does it cost?

Start with the official project menu, which links to reservations. A leather bookmark lists for $44, a gemstone necklace for $54, a wooden flight board with four glasses for $59, and a four-pocket wallet for $65. The menu estimates 30 minutes to two and a half hours depending on the project. Pick with both budget and time in mind.

For a birthday or work outing, the company’s private-event information makes a useful distinction. It advises groups under 15 that a regular reservation during open hours can cost less than a private booking. Groups can arrange catering or bring food, and organizers can use drink tickets to manage a shared tab. The company also offers nonalcoholic drinks. Guests choose their projects when they arrive.

What can founders learn from Makers Social?

Pando made personal choice part of the service without requiring every guest to book a different class. The menu does some of the teaching before a staff member picks up a tool. A beginner can see that one item takes longer than another, choose accordingly and arrive at the first step with realistic expectations.

For a second location, the most revealing numbers would come from individual tables. How long does a wallet take on a busy Saturday? At which step do guests ask for help? Can a newly trained employee help two people at different stages while keeping up with drink orders? Answers to those questions would tell an operator which instructions to rewrite and where an extra pair of hands would earn its cost.

Final take. Pando gave investors a working example of something people already chose to pay for. Her reported sales and continued Columbus bookings give that example substance. Opening another room would test a different skill. A manager who never worked at Studio 614 would have to prepare the materials, schedule the staff and get a nervous beginner through a difficult step with enough time left to enjoy the evening. That is what a second address could establish for this business. Until one opens, the clearest evidence of what Pando built is still a table in Franklinton, where friends can order different projects and leave with something they made themselves.

Frequently asked questions

Is Makers Social still open? Its Columbus location lists reservations and private events as of November 12, 2026.

Who owns the idea behind Makers Social? Megan Pando founded the business after running Studio 614. The company’s current ownership percentages are undisclosed.

Did Kevin O’Leary invest? Pando accepted $150,000 for 20% on television. A completed investment remains unconfirmed.

Can you visit a Cincinnati location? Pando has discussed Cincinnati. The verified booking address is in Columbus.

Does everyone have to make the same thing? Each guest can choose a different project. A companion can also come along just to socialize.

How much does Makers Social earn today? Pando reported $546,000 in sales for 2024. A current annual revenue or profit figure has not been publicly verified.