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WHO
Polly Plourde doesn’t refer to herself as an artist … she’s a glass fuser. When someone views her work and asks if she’s the artist, she typically responds “I’m the person having fun!”
In 2005 Polly decided to try her hand at glass fusing. She was unable to work out the timing of classes with the rest of her life so decided to spend the money on her first kiln and teach herself. She now owns three kilns and has a blast each day! Polly believes that her quirky style came about as the result of not being influenced by an instructor.
What inspires Polly’s creations? COLOR! Sometimes a collection of scrap glass on the worktable will catch her attention and her mind starts to whirl with the possibilities of combining the colors in a new design.
She smiles as she is creating … there is nothing better!
WHAT
What is fused glass? The process begins with fusible stained glass – basically a special type of stained glass that can withstand the high temperatures of a kiln. The design elements are cut by hand, cleaned, and then assembled. The piece then goes into the kiln and the intense heat fuses the individual pieces of glass into one. If the fused piece is going to become a dish it goes back into the kiln at a lower temperature and is placed on a mold. Over time the glass slumps into the mold, taking on its shape. That is called glass slumping.
WHERE
This fun process takes place in Polly’s glass studio in Scarborough, Maine. All raw materials are made in the USA, as is the packaging for the ornaments.
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My name is Jed Malcore and I’ve been woodturning since 2014. What started as a hobby quickly grew to an obsession and a successful small business.
My mother was a painter, my dad was a woodworker and my grandfather was a wood carver, so I had a small understanding of art and making. I remember looking through a 3 inch thick Sears Christmas catalog and seeing a mini toy lathe and always thinking it would be a fun craft adventure, but I never had the opportunity to try it, until about 5 years ago. I was looking for a hobby and thought that I should try it. After reading and watching everything I could find on the internet about wood turning, I purchased a small lathe on craigslist. I immediately set up a shop in my garage and began experimenting, creating and making woodturnings.
My first pieces of work were crude Christmas trees and I realized I needed more help. So, threw my research, I found a woodturning club in Dixfield, Maine, where I met Kim Dailey, who began investing in me and helping me get started on the right foot. Since then, I have completed an apprenticeship through the Maine Craft Association with Kim Dailey.
Today, I spend as much time as I can in the shop (mostly in the evenings and on weekends – when not running to sporting events for my kids) and have even been able to begin passing what I’ve learned on to my kids (5 of them!)
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We wanted to make a sophisticated wine with a product that made sense for Maine. Rhubarb grows so well here, it comes back every year, and grows like a week. It’s tartness and acidity make it a wonderful product for making a nice wine. Our wines are often mistaken for roses, pinot grigio, and sauvignon blancs – that is a true compliment.
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In 2014, we started the venture of finding our first home. Throughout this process, we discovered our love of design, rustic decor, and architecture. After a long search, we finally found our perfect home! We decided to make some changes before moving in so that it would be exactly what we wanted — changing the floors to wide plank barn wood boards was step one. It was a major undertaking, but we were bound to do them ourselves. This process helped us realize our love for rustic style, working together and sharing our passion with others.
Fast forward, and here we are! Now, we are proud to say that we are a husband and wife team built on quality, craft, and fun — making handcrafted pieces that will stay in your family for generations. With living in the beautiful state of Maine and being inspired by the Shaker community and craftsmanship in our area, we do what we love every single day! We hope to share our passion for woodworking with you through our furniture and decor to help turn your house into a home you love.
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Our ownership group, Bigelow Mountain Partners LLC, was started by 3 Mainers who are all alumni of Carrabassett Valley Academy. They rescued the Winterstick brand from bankruptcy in 2000 and have been working to with the brand since then. In 2014 Seth Wescott became involved as an owner and approached Sugarloaf about letting us use the old West Mountain Chair Barn as a factory. In 2015 we reached an agreement with Sugarloaf and in 2016 opened the 1st ski and snowboard factory in the world with a chairlift coming out of it. We wanted to build here in Maine. We love the state and most of us remember the mills in Lewiston, Waterville, and the rest of Maine pumping out high quality products. We want to do the same.
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When Odd Alewives Farm Brewery founders John and Sarah McNeil decided to open a brewery, they did so with the motivation to create a unique and engaging beer experience that would combine their talents as brewers, farmers, and artists. After much searching they found the perfect farm, within the historic midcoast Maine village of Waldoboro. The newly renovated 1820’s barn, which now houses the brewery and tasting room, is surrounded by 22+ acres of gardens and forest and offers visitors a beautiful rural setting to gather and celebrate. The farm grows a variety of hops, fruit, herbs and even vegetables all for beer production, ingredients not produced on the farm are sourced locally within the state, so as to capture the taste of a true Maine farmhouse ale.
OAFB’s mission is to create beer that refreshes, and sustains the hardworking body and mind. As a result our farmhouse ales focuses on the honesty of the product, variability of the seasons, locality and purity of the ingredients.
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Craftsmanship is a way of life in Maine, particularly here on the coast and islands that shape Frenchman’s Bay and serve as the gateway to Acadia National Park. For over 40 years, the Gallery Leather company has been part of that rich tradition, handcrafting leather products of exceptional quality.
Over the years we have made leather goods for many of North America’s luxury brands. Now we offer a line of our own timeless designs: planners, journals, albums and organizers – all constructed by hand, here in Maine, guaranteed to last for generations.
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Shelley Lance-Fulk and Jacklyn Amtower are sisters living in Newport, Maine. They have been traveling and photographing wildlife around the world since their teens. They have visited all seven continents on multiple occasions and their passports have stamps from more than 138 countries. Their experiences of adventure, enlightenment and respect for animals are shared in tales and stories with accompanying photographs in their six books, Can I Carry Your Luggage?, Upside Down and Backwards, Dromomainea, GPS (Go.Play.Share), Encounter! and Bridging Time. Their time throughout the year is divided between traveling, sharing their photographs and stories at artisan fairs and in speaking engagements. Their YouTube Channel, Traveling Sisters Adventures, enables viewers to hop in their vehicle to join Shelley and Jacklyn on their travels! The sisters enjoy the experience of meeting new people and observing other cultures and wildlife but their appreciation for the state of Maine always draws them home to the animals and splendor of their beautiful community.
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Wooden Screen Door Company is proud of the quality of the materials and methods we use to construct our custom wooden screen/storm doors. Everything from expansion, contraction and the species of the wood, to straightness of grain, thickness of wood, finishing treatments and hardware has been considered for quality and durability. From the design to milling, assembly to shipping, quality and pride are instilled into everything we do to manufacture our doors. We are confident that you, our customer, will be thrilled with the quality and workmanship that is evident in these unique, custom wooden screen/storm doors.
