Say the word “craft” out loud and see what pictures it conjures up. Tempera paints? Construction paper? Acrylic yarn in garish colors? Now replace it with “craftsmanship.” Suddenly the images are of finely wrought work (maybe metal, maybe wood, maybe … Continue reading →

Some people’s career paths run like an allée of boxwood in a formal French garden: straight, smooth, unswerving. Others find a more meandering way, like a path in a romantic English garden that turns unexpected corners and doubles back on … Continue reading →

Leandra Fremont-Smith needed a change of scenery. For years, she had loved running her successful design business from the barn attached to the back of her home in Yarmouth. As she recalls, “I could have my kids get off the … Continue reading →

Thomas Michaels and his wife, Nora Hattman-Michaels, are showing me some of their work. On the velvet trays in front of me lie hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of jewelry. Michaels picks up a diamond ring for me to … Continue reading →

When prompted, most people can recall their childhood blanket clearly: the smooth satin of the edging on a machine-made blanket, say, or the bright palette of Grandma’s crocheted squares. But not everyone’s blanket can say it inspired a thriving company. … Continue reading →

Not all Valentine’s Day stories have romance at their core. For Tanja Cesh of Mulxiply and Kristen Camp of Campfire Studios, a Valentine’s Day encounter a few years ago led them to enduring friendship, fruitful collaboration, and now a retail … Continue reading →

Handbag and accessories designer Jan Haedrich has been cultivating her classic style for decades, from studying in France and England to working for fashion brands JOOP! in Germany, Hermès in Paris, and Ralph Lauren in New York. In 2001 Haedrich … Continue reading →

Erin Flett had a feeling about this building. Located just three minutes down the road from the designer’s home, the 1800s Victorian stands at the junction of Routes 202 and 114 in downtown Gorham, so it was on Flett’s way … Continue reading →

More than two hundred years ago, something happened to men’s shopping in the United States. The sophisticated men of the 1600s and 1700s had worn bright colors, jewelry, frills, elaborate wigs, and high-heeled shoes; they had refined taste in wine, … Continue reading →

It was a quilt, or the desire for one, that started it all. “It was February of 2019,” recalls Jessica Thomas, founder and owner of Handiwork in Portland. “It was a sunny Sunday morning, and I was drinking my coffee … Continue reading →