Hallmark's Benjamin Ayres Used His Rom-Com Star Status To Launch The Sweetest Charity

Since debuting on the network in 2016, Benjamin Ayres has established himself as a Hallmark regular through made-for-TV movies like "The Chronicle Mysteries," "Color My World with Love," and "Long Lost Christmas." Though he belongs on the list of Hallmark hunks who make us sweat, he's also using his rom-com star status to make a real difference. In December 2022, Ayres launched Romance University, a charitable online storefront selling clothing and merchandise to his fellow romance movie lovers.

The Hallmark star was inspired by the Harvard crest, spoofing it to read "Hallmark University" on the original handful of items he had made. The idea was that he and other romance movie fans were so studied in the genre that they were university alumni, with the star going on to refer to his Hallmark colleagues as "professors" while eventually earning the title of "Chancellor" himself. "I think what I thought I was going to be doing was sell some hoodies and just some fun merch," the former "Saving Hope" actor told TV Goodness. "But what I realized was I built an incredible community that is so heartwarming to me."

In addition to cultivating this community of Hallmark fans and romance movie lovers, the Canadian native has also donated thousands of dollars worth of profits to various charities, including Toronto-based women's shelters. Ayres has remained at the forefront of Romance University and its charitable endeavors, but he's been joined by plenty of Hallmark co-stars along the way.

Hallmark star Benjamin Ayres has opened up about the origins of Romance University, explaining that he didn't set out intending to launch a charity-oriented merch store. "It was originally just a fun idea for some buttons, and I made a couple sweatshirts for, you know, myself and a couple of my leading ladies," Ayres told the "Suspenders Unbuttoned Media" podcast. The actor soon realized that there was a large demand for the romance-themed merch after handing out buttons at Christmas Con 2022.

It was at this point that he transitioned away from the original "Hallmark University" branding, choosing the name "Romance University" to include the wider audience of general romance movie lovers. From there, Ayres was tasked with figuring out how to turn his fun idea into a full-fledged business, with international shipping and supply sourcing being some early obstacles he faced. Fortunately, he learned about e-commerce from his wife, Erin, who sells pancake mix through Easy Peasy Pancakes.

As for finding a suitable source for his products, Ayres revealed that his star power came in clutch. "It was difficult to find suppliers," he told TV Goodness. "So I started reaching out to companies online that are doing it and befriending them. It helped that I have some status where they can trust me ... They turned me onto a few suppliers, who I then contacted and now I've got about six different suppliers that I'm dealing with."

From its unexpected beginning, Romance University has been a charitable endeavor, with Benjamin Ayres explaining that he took inspiration from discussions of community give-back at Christmas Con. "I was thinking about it and wanting to do more for the community," he told TV Goodness. "It just kind of made sense that if I was gonna do this and sell these hoodies, that it doesn't just look like this, like a 'Ben Ayres' kind of thing."

Two weeks after its initial launch, Ayres documented him and his wife donating $4,000 worth of proceeds to two Toronto women's shelters, Street Haven and Anduhyaun. "Today is a dream come true, made possible by YOU," he wrote on Instagram. "This is the first of many more donations to come." Since then, the Hallmark star has partnered with several of his colleagues to raise money for additional organizations.

For example, he joined up with Hallmark star Andrew Walker for a 2023 Valentine's collection, with the "Three Wise Men and a Baby" star choosing to donate the proceeds to the LA-based women's shelter Alexandria House. Ayres similarly partnered with Jonathan Bennett in July 2023 to raise money for the DRU Project, an LGBTQIA+ centered non-profit. Romance University has also collaborated with Nikki DeLoach and Ashley Williams as they've lent their joint support to the Alzheimer's Association. Overall, Romance University shows just how much of an impact Hallmark stars can truly have, especially when they join forces.