Akron, Ohio

In June of 2025, I had a stroke.
This is what happened next.

A note from Matt, co-founder of Cura

How We Got Here

In June of 2025, I had a stroke. I was in my late 40s, I'd spent my career in real estate, and one day my body just stopped cooperating. No paralysis, which I'm grateful for every single day. But my right hand is still numb and my jaw still doesn't feel quite right. I had to relearn how to walk. That's not something you expect to be on your to-do list.

When something like that happens, it has a way of making you look at everything differently. What matters, what doesn't. What you want the next chapter to look like. For me, the answer was pretty clear. I wanted to be involved in something that made people happy. Something I could do alongside the person I love.

"I had to relearn how to walk. That's not something you expect to be on your to-do list."

Erin and Paper Mill Studio

My girlfriend Erin has owned Paper Mill Studio for 10 years. The brand itself goes back 50 years here in Akron, Ohio, which is kind of remarkable when you think about it. Five decades of helping people mark the moments that matter most in their lives.

I'd watched Erin pour herself into this place for as long as I'd known her. She has a real gift for it, the kind of eye and patience that this work demands. And honestly, what she's built here is something worth showing up for.

"Five decades of helping people mark the moments that matter most."

Why This, Why Now

I came from real estate. I know how to work hard and I know how to talk to people, but none of that prepared me for what it feels like to sit in a hospital bed and wonder what comes next.

What came next was this. I wanted to be part of something that already had roots, something steady, something that Erin could run with or without me. Something that was about people on their best days, not their hardest ones.

Cura is that for me. It's not a pivot or a plan B. It's what I chose when I got to choose again.

So if you've found your way here, welcome. We're glad you did.

Matt

Cura is a curated gift collection, assembled by hand right here in Akron. Local products, local makers, for businesses and people who want to make someone feel truly remembered.