As Rochester Brainery founder Danielle Raymo contemplated ending her decade-plus tenure with the business, she wanted to go out the right way. She didn’t want to just close down, leaving the teachers of so many experiential classes without that revenue stream or unique marketing opportunity. She also didn’t want to hand it over to someone that was going to radically change how the Brainery operated. When Mike Krupnicki heard Raymo was preparing to sell, he eagerly called her, only slightly tweaking that she hadn’t already reached out to him. Krupnicki owns Arc + Flame, an education and art space in Chili focused on flameworking: welding, blacksmithing and glass working. The two business owners have been collaborating for about 10 years, and Krupnicki officially bought Rochester Brainery in August 2025. “In every aspect he’s the perfect person to take over the reins of the business,” Raymo said. “He knows the community, he knows the class landscape, he’s worked with teachers before and customer service is the most important thing to him.” Mike Krupnicki bought Rochester Brainery in August 2025. PHOTO PROVIDED. Krupnicki is a gregarious guy who loves to crack a joke. He started working at Mahany Welding Supply in 1982 when he was 18 — a business his father bought after also finding work there in 1946, shortly after the end of World War II. Over the years, the business changed hands from father to son, and Krupnicki’s passion for teaching pushed him to start offering welding classes onsite in the early 2000s. By 2009, more than 3,500 students had taken classes. A need for skilled welders in the area led to a partnership with Monroe Community College to create a 20-week job readiness program. Now in his classroom at Arc + Flame, Krupnicki looks up at his wall of 800 graduate photos (including one student who married his daughter) with adoration and pride.  “Nobody else is doing anything like this,” Krupnicki said. “These folks are my legacy.” For Raymo, Rochester Brainery has been a long-term labor of love. In the early 2010s, she lived and worked in New York City, managing Red Jacket’s brand. She happened to live near Brooklyn Brainery on the west side of the borough, and lined up Red Jacket farmer Mike Biltonen to teach a class on small-scale gardening for apartment-dwellers in the city. Raymo loved the concept and immediately saw it as a great marketing tool for small businesses. Meanwhile Rochester was calling her back home, and she wanted to build something similar for her hometown. When she and early partner Stephanie Rankin were trying to come up with a new name, they realized “Brainery” was the perfect word and asked for permission to use it (granted).  Brooklyn Brainery, the original inspiration for Rochester Brainery. PHOTO BY KELLEN BECK. Rochester Brainery has offered to the public a wide pool of community-led, hands-on classes that range from baking homemade donuts and jewelry making to website building and historical walking tours. Over the last decade, the Brainery has grown and evolved into a kind of cult favorite for people who are looking to get out and try new things. “Nobody says a bad thing about the Brainery,” Krupnicki said. “I don’t have an opportunity to fix something, I have an opportunity to grow something that’s already great. And that’s kind of a fun challenge for me.” Raymo has maintained full-time jobs ever since she started the Brainery. She’s currently the communications manager for the George Eastman Museum, and she’s been ready to do a little less. “It was kind of my goal that by the time I turn 40, maybe it would be nice to just have one job,” Raymo said. “I have pretty much always had two jobs since I graduated high school. It’s probably time.” She’s not fully out, of course. Raymo and Krupnicki have been working together through the transition and she’s assisting with some marketing — there’s a chance if you email Rochester Brainery, you still may get a response from her. A still from a macaron-making class. PHOTO PROVIDED. Krupnicki has been mulling some ideas for the Brainery, including class expansions to the suburbs further outside the city and acquiring a dedicated space, like Rochester Brainery had on Anderson Avenue until 2023. But he’s taking it slowly. There’s no rush to expand things. “I feel a lot of responsibility,” he said. “I see too many businesses – family businesses – that get bought by big conglomerates. They just destroy these beautiful family businesses. I’m not some corporate raider. Her business fits [Arc + Flame] so well, and it’s helping me stay connected to my hometown.” As her involvement with Rochester Brainery winds down (she just took the first vacation where she didn’t need to do work in some fashion every single day), Raymo feels appreciative of all the people who have taught and taken classes. “This community wants to learn from each other, and the Brainery absolutely wouldn’t even exist if people didn’t want to share what they know with others,” she said. “I’m excited to see it continue in ways that maybe I didn’t imagine. And to still be a little bit a part of it is really amazing.” rochesterbrainery.com The post After 12 years, Rochester Brainery has a new owner appeared first on CITY Magazine. Arts. Music. 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