PORTLAND, Maine — On the cobblestone streets of the Old Port, tourists can scoop up all types of lobster-themed swag, from lobster deely boppers with googly eyes to lobster T-shirts to lobster mugs.
But lately, fashionistas are forsaking the obvious for more subtle nods to Maine’s marine industry. A spectrum of nautical-themed products, from bait bags to sunglasses made from lobster traps, made by young designers are attracting discerning shoppers in droves.
At Alaina Marie, a handbag company that opened on Portland’s Fore Street in June, business has “exploded.” Inside a storefront in an 1792 building, employees sew clutches, wallets and wristlets with colorful mesh material used by lobstermen for bait bags and buoys.
“How more Maine can you be?” owner Alaina Harris, who grew up in South Portland and launched her business two years ago, said.
The 27-year-old entrepreneur dreamed up the idea of turning flashy fabric she spied in a marine shop into a bag. An internship at Sea Bags, the granddaddy of repurposed marine gear in Maine, gave her a crash course in handmade product design.
Now that her bags are sold at Anthropologie and J.Crew and she’s moved from a quiet SoPo neighborhood to the high-rent Old Port, she is the darling of the burgeoning marine-chic world.
“It’s surreal for me,” Harris, who hired her first three employees during the last year, said.
Her peers are taking note.
John Turner, a University of Southern Maine graduate who works for a Portland tech company, caught the nautical bug.
In the last year and a half, he has figured out how to turn wooden lobster traps into sunglasses and cufflinks. His Maine-inspired line, Traps Eyewear, launches Friday, Aug. 14, at Portland Trading Co.
“All traps are salvaged and repurposed,” Turner, who caught the brainwave while walking along Willard Beach, said. “I happened to stumble across the metal traps and thought, ‘How can I melt it down and make glasses?’”
He couldn’t. Research led the Harpswell native to the out-of-use wooden traps.
He bought 75 from a Camden fisherman who built his own oak traps, which he fished with 25 years ago.
“It’s a cool story about the a transformation of a material,” said Turner, whose glasses — the arms — are handmade in Cape Neddick with tools and machinery that date back to the 1940s. In September, Traps Eyewear will be available in New York City and Palm Springs, Florida.
“Maine is synonymous with craftsmanship and quality,” Turner said, plus “people are looking for great looking products that tell a story.”
And for accessories that reflect maritime culture, not just the whims of the fashion elite, customers visiting marine stores in Maine this summer are finding more than varnish, line and tackle at their disposal.
At Searsport-based Hamilton Marine, repurposed nautical accessories made in Maine are starting to dominate the gift section.
Their shops in Searsport, Portland and Rockland have carried Alaina Marie bait bags for a year, and tourists scoop them up.
“We are getting a lot more sailors who say, ‘This is one of my past times, and I want to show that,’” Angie Gallant, the company’s product line manager, said. “It brings awareness as to what the tools are being used for.”
Tools that include a lobster measurer — a brass or stainless steel ruler with engraved numbers that resembles a wrench — make great bottle openers. Maine Coast Creations in Cutler sells them in the shape of a claw and offers custom engravings.
“It gives us diversity in the gift department,” Gallant, who believes there is room for more, said.
“We are willing to discuss ideas” and materials with the next would-be nautical entrepreneur, she said.
Although the boon of marine makers has not made a dent in supply sales at Hamilton Marine, that could change as more companies such as Lighthouse Studio Design pop up.
The months-old Portland business turns lobster gauges into cool arm candy. Founder Evan Griffith polishes, weathers and torches the brass and stainless rulers into bracelets with fresh-looking patinas. He hopes to expand his line soon.
“There is so much you can do with marine material for a different purpose,” Griffith, who sold 60 in his first month, said.
“It’s unbelievable. They are selling a lot faster than I thought I they would,” he said. “Most people don’t know exactly what it is. But once they learn the history they like it more.”
