I grew up on the small island of Jamestown in Rhode Island. I was always fascinated and inspired by collecting and manipulating various materials. Jewelry making was something that came naturally to me as a child and something that I continued to grow with and explore as I matured. My creative drive led me to complete a bachelors’ degree in Textiles, Merchandising and Design at the University of Rhode Island in 2012. Motivated by my love of the ocean and the trendy culture of Portland, I moved to coastal Maine and established my jewelry company: Elise Marie DeSigns. The entrepreneurial spirit and beauty of Maine continues to be a great inspiration for new designs and business growth for my company.
Island Apothecary
Posted by Laura Serino & filed under .
Laura Serino worked for years as a writer in New York City until a fateful trip to Maine changed everything. During a weekend visit to North Haven island, she met a very handsome lobsterman and moved to Maine six months later. They are now married with one child and are based on North Haven full-time.
I have always been passionate about environmentally conscious practices and have educated myself as a journalist about what I put in and on my body. I solved my own skincare issues with an oil-based approach and decided to begin selling it and offering it to the masses.
We operate year-round and make all our products in small batches. Everything is made on North Haven and shipped from North Haven to homes all over the world.
the pop company
Posted by Liza Fisher-munroe & filed under .
Meet Liza
She’s the POP Company’s CEO, creative director, designer, seamstress… heck, she does it all from her cozy workshop in Birch Harbor, Maine.
She was born in Argentina, raised in New Hampshire, and spent quite a bit of time with her mother’s family in NYC – which sparked her passion for the arts. She dabbles in silversmithing, stained glass, knitting, photography, and design. But it was her sewing skills and business savvy (she’s owned two successful hair salons) that helped her build POP.
Liza’s Morkie (Maltese and Yorkie) Harley inspired her to create her original Purse of Pockets. Harley is a therapy dog and the two often travel to visit hospitals and nursing homes. Liza was frustrated by juggling two bags along on every trip.
What if… she thought, What if I had one bag that could hold it all – separated by pockets, so I didn’t have to root around trying to find the poopie bags, treats, and my car keys? God, I’m brilliant.
She really is. Her friends thought so, too. Liza suddenly had a business on her hands.
She knew that she wanted to support other small, USA-based businesses, so she sources all her materials in America. She uses sustainably-produced organic waxed cotton canvas and makes her bags to last a lifetime. Liza donates 1% of her profits to her local animal shelter – so you’ll not only look freakin’ fabulous with your new POP company bag, but you’ll feel good about your
And here she is, working on another gorgeous creation for you!
Maine Authors Publishing
Posted by Jane Karker & filed under .
We have been a trusted source for books by Maine authors since 2009. A small, cooperative-style, press; we send our full color trade catalog, followed by our sales rep, to Maine bookstores twice a year. We offer cooperative-style marketing by training our authors how to promote and sell book and by sharing the cost of trade shows. Order wholesale or retail from our website or at most Maine bookstores. We are always looking for new Maine talent and use a hybrid model of pay per service publishing, giving authors 100% of the royalties from books sold in bookstores and shops throughout Maine. We offer full distribution services, editing, book design, printing and warehousing. Wholesale buyers may order from our website, or from orders@maineauthorspublshing.com or contact us for a catalog and order form. Authors may contact us for information or to register for our orientation presentation on the first Friday of every month-“Introduction to Cooperative-Style Publishing”.
identities by mawebber
Posted by Milton Webber & filed under .
…as my saying goes, “What can I create for you?” is the BEST way to explain my work, Multi-media work encompasses all of my creations, I use a multitude of stock, birchbark, oars to name a few, Lobster buoys have been a popular medium lately, materials are from regional suppliers, All pieces are custom designed to fit the clients needs…. This is from my profile…. ‘ My artwork embodies a creative and distinctive flavor; and can be tailored to any individual desire. I utilize various mediums, but lately have rediscovered my early roots by using pastels, colored pencil, graphite along with pen and ink, acrylics lend a nice touch also. A REAL sense of realism is evident in the majority of my work.”
Ella’s Chocolates
Posted by Ella Raibert & filed under .
I am passionate about creating, and love all things chocolate. When I saw an opportunity to share that passion with others, I took it. After much experimenting and working to perfect my technique, I developed my first official product and Ella’s Chocolates was born.
A personal favorite of mine, the chocolate covered cherry, was where I started. Taking a big fat cherry, wrapping in a secret confection and dipping it in a bath of dark or milk chocolate. Ahh….
After sharing with family and friends, the requests starting flowing in. Unable to stop there, I went on to create a soft homemade caramel encased in a thick semi-sweet chocolate, and a creamy peanut butter ball dipped in chocolate with a surprise in the middle.
Shortly after beginning my business venture I went to Vermont to visit with family. I knew I had hit on something big when a couple of women took bites of my chocolates, they bent slightly at the knees, one said, “mmmm” I’ve arrived at “The Land of Delicious.”
Birdhouses from Maine
Posted by Tony DiPietro & filed under .
How it all started…
In 1998 I had just retired from working 20+ years in a local paper mill, ready to pursue a different path of work and other interests. One day my young daughter brought home from a local craft show a small unpainted birdhouse. As a project together, we painted and installed the birdhouse out in the field. To our surprise that early Spring, a pair of swallows took up residence in our new house. “I was hooked from that point on.” Reading up on birds and their habitat in many books, I started to build basic birdhouses at first. Then as I started to use many types of recycled materials my creativity started to expand. Using resalvaged pieces of metal, stone, wood, household items, etc. my designs became unique, one-of-a- kind pieces.
My wife, daughter and I started to exhibit our birdhouses, signs and other products at craft shows. The popularity of our products was greatly received. Soon, what started out as a hobby turned into a new small business.
Although our product line has expanded greatly since the beginning, we have made sure our gift line is very affordable. We still build our basic birdhouse line for bird lovers but also enjoy making special one-of-a-kind houses that seem to add much enjoyment to all our customers. All our pieces are designed for outdoor use for habitat but many customers also use them for interior home decor.
We hope you enjoy them as much as we enjoy making them!
Jack and Mary Designs
Posted by Marilyn Robertson & filed under .
Jack and Mary Designs has been designing and manufacturing hand-crafted, American-made, charming accessories created from recycled sweaters since 2004.
Designer and founder, Marilyn Robertson’s commitment to creating fashion-forward, functional, stylish, accessories, that are hand-made in Maine, has earned the company a loyal following of style-conscious, eco-minded consumers.
Robertson, a former interior designer channels her eye for design and love of color into creating one-of-a-kind, artful accessories. “Initially I was focusing on creating handbags from sweaters,” Robertson says. “In 2009, a friend asked me to make handbags as gifts for her sisters using the sweaters their late mother had worn to her sister’s Olympic ski races,” she explained. “After making the bags the sweater sleeves were left over so I made mittens out of the sleeves. The mittens took off.”
Since the 2009 debut of the company’s mittens, the cold weather accessories collection has expanded to include eco-friendly scarves, hats, mittens, fingerless mittens, headbands, bun warmer skirts, flower pins and Christmas Stockings.
“Winter can be such a somber season,” Robertson says. “So I keep the line, colorful, happy…The pieces are functional with a zippy pop of color that always makes people smile.”
With the 2013 debut of their children’s accessories line, Jack and Mary Designs remains at the forefront of women’s and children’s fashion and the green movement. Jack and Mary Designs products are sold online, as well as at over 75 retailers. Shop the entire collection now.
We specialize in sweater refashion and upcycling wool into environmentally friendly accessories, giving natural fiber a new life.
We take previously owned wool/cashmere sweaters and cut them into different shapes, giving us a wide range of colors and patterns from which to craft our accessories . The cut material is then purposefully pieced back together into wearable works of art – hats, mittens, scarves, etc. Hand Wash * Air Dry
Every hand-crafted item we sell must meet Marilyn’s high standards before it gets her stamp of approval. Marilyn’s approval means you are assured of receiving quality Hand Made in Maine products from Jack and Mary Designs.
Northwoods Gourmet Girl LLC
Posted by Abby Freethy & filed under .
Tucked away in the sleepy Moosehead Lake region of Maine, Northwoods Gourmet Girl has been producing all-natural, elegant pantry staples since 2005; one jar at a time.
Perhaps inspired by the myriad of artificially-flavored, chemically-altered condiments that line the shelves of supermarkets around the nation, chef Abby Freethy set out in 2005 to create a company that specialized in healthy alternatives to common pantry staples. Northwoods Gourmet Girl started with country ketchup produced in Freethy’s own home kitchen, and has expanded to a product line of over 18 items, including relishes, jams, preserves and desert sauces.
“I grew up in a home where the kitchen was constantly filled with the smell of my Ukranian grandmother’s scratch cooking, sheltered from the processed foods that still remain omnipresent in today’s society,” says Freethy. “Northwoods Gourmet Girl is my attempt to bring quality of life back into the kitchen for families throughout New England.”
Northwoods Gourmet Girl has grown from its humble beginnings to a sustainable business with a heavy focus on community enrichment for both children and adults.
“I started this company when I was pregnant with my son, and soon realized that the basis behind all of it lays in my desire to raise awareness amongst both parents and children about the importance adopting a healthy lifestyle,” says Freethy. “At Northwoods Gourmet Girl, we believe that health starts in the kitchen and with proper nutrition, which is none of our products contain preservatives or other artificial ingredients.”
Northwoods Gourmet Girl is a purveyor of gourmet, all-natural, and healthy pantry staples, including a product line of over 18 items, including ketchups, mustard, relishes, jams, preserves and desert sauces. Northwoods Gourmet Girl draws on Abby’s culinary training as a chef, with a goal of using high quality ingredients sans preservatives. In addition to the pantry staples, Northwoods Gourmet Girl launched a branded lifestyle home goods early in 2018, including furniture (kitchen islands, farm tables, chairs, and benches), dinner ware, glasses, pottery, and tea towels. All home goods are designed working with local artisans and crafted with high quality materials by Maine artisans and carpenters. The slow roll out of of the hard goods will be solidified by a brick and mortar store in Abby’s home town of Greenville Maine on beautiful Moosehead Lake.
Angler’s Pint
Posted by Karen Talbot & filed under .
Karen Talbot is an award-winning scientific illustrator and fine artist best known for her depiction of fishes. As an avid fly angler, she has firsthand experience with many of her subjects. The tagline of Karen Talbot Art is “Conservation through Appreciation,” and Karen believes art, like angling, can bring much needed attention to important conservation issues.