Behind the Brand: The Rope Co.
Today is an exciting day! We are thrilled to introduce our exclusive collaboration with one of my personal favorite brands, The Rope Co.
Credit: Jen Hochstadt
Logan Rackcliff is the founder of The Rope Co. and he is a pretty impressive guy. He is a 5th generation lobsterman, who took his experience from the seas to the weave, creating unique and beautiful doormats made from the same commercial grade fishing rope he uses on the water.
Handmade in Maine, offering extreme durability, and classic New England nautical style, I was immediately drawn to The Rope Co. doormats....and so were you! When we first launched The Rope Co. doormats last year, we could not keep them in stock. Despite increasing our quantities with each order, they continued to sell out the second they hit the site. We knew this product was special.
We're so honored that Logan and his team agreed to create these exclusive designs for us. They truly reflect our classic coastal esthetic and are certain to add a touch of coastal living to your doorstep - whether you live by the coast, or simply dream of being there.
We hope you love these beautiful doormats as much as we do! Now, enjoy reading more about Logan, his brilliant brand, and beautiful life in coastal Maine.
xx Meg
Credit: Jen Hochstadt
CC: Logan, we are so excited to partner with you and The Rope Co. on these gorgeous nautical stripe doormats exclusively for Cailíní Coastal! Can you share a little bit about your family's generational history in lobstering and how that turned into The Rope Co?
LR: We are grateful and honored to be partnering with Cailíní, we love what your team is doing there and your vision.
My wife Hannah grew up in Friendship, Maine and I grew up in St. George, Maine. We are both from generations of lobstermen, ship captains, and boat builders. My grandfather on my mom’s side started making rope in the 60s. Crowe Rope, grew to become the largest rope manufacturer in America. Crowe Rope was sold in 1995, and my father (who was a lobsterman at the time) started his own rope manufacturing business in 1998, selling to mostly local lobstermen. I’m a 5th generation lobsterman. If you’re a lobsterman a big part of your life is rope, and you need to know it well as you're using great quantities of it on a regular basis. After graduating college, I continued lobster fishing as I had been doing my whole life, but always knew I wanted to start my own separate business. My grandfather had started making the rope doormats with Crowe Rope in the 90s and saw the great potential in them. With my grandfather’s encouragement, Hannah and I started The Rope Co. making rope doormats with the rope made from my father’s rope mill.
Credit: Jen Hochstadt
CC: What is it about your pieces that make them so special?
LR: It’s our mission to bring peace and beauty to peoples' homes and we believe our products do exactly that. They are made with heritage and heart, absolute top quality and are intentional and practical. Our pieces are designed to be timeless. Every piece is made here in Maine by people that live locally. When you receive something from The Rope Co. you’re bringing a piece of Maine to your home.
CC: We love that everything locally handmade in Maine. Tell us about the process of making each mat?
LR: Each mat-weaver has their own “jig,” as we call them. They take the rope and weave it in and out of a series of poles until they get to the desired height. They then pop the poles out of the jig and then start feeding the rope through the poles, back and forth until they reach the end of the mat (this holds all the weaves of rope together). After that, depending on what style of mat they are making, they need to finish the mat by splicing in the ends that are left over. In a high quality rope mat you should have a very tough time figuring out where the ends of the rope are. We set the standard, but truly each mat is unique. Some weavers make their mats slightly looser or tighter and there are some other ways they could differ. The untrained eye would never notice, but for those of us who see them come and go everyday, we can actually tell who made each mat. We are making what I believe to be the best doormats on the market and we’re always striving to do better. The Rope Company's name is all thanks to the weavers. We are so grateful for each of them, they are truly a blessing. The weavers we have truly care and enjoy making these beautiful pieces one by one.
LR: Each mat-weaver has their own “jig,” as we call them. They take the rope and weave it in and out of a series of poles until they get to the desired height. They then pop the poles out of the jig and then start feeding the rope through the poles, back and forth until they reach the end of the mat (this holds all the weaves of rope together). After that, depending on what style of mat they are making, they need to finish the mat by splicing in the ends that are left over. In a high quality rope mat you should have a very tough time figuring out where the ends of the rope are. We set the standard, but truly each mat is unique. Some weavers make their mats slightly looser or tighter and there are some other ways they could differ. The untrained eye would never notice, but for those of us who see them come and go everyday, we can actually tell who made each mat. We are making what I believe to be the best doormats on the market and we’re always striving to do better. The Rope Company's name is all thanks to the weavers. We are so grateful for each of them, they are truly a blessing. The weavers we have truly care and enjoy making these beautiful pieces one by one.
Credit: The Rope Co.
CC: We know we're a little biased, but our three new exclusive styles are just beautiful! Which style is your personal favorite?
LR: I will say I was excited when Meg first started talking about these designs. Things got so busy last year that all of us had kind of forgotten that we made these samples, so when I visited the warehouse one day and saw them, I was a little taken aback at how gorgeous they were. Meg freaked out when I showed her a picture at a tradeshow! They are everything we love here, most of all, timeless. I feel like my favorites change, the more I get to know the ropes and see them in different places. Once Hannah and I designed and saw the “Oyster with Glacier Bay & Navy Stripe,” we knew instantly that we had to offer it. That is the design
Cailíní Coastal initially started carrying and now Meg’s new creations in this exclusive partnership are like that design, except on a next level of interior and architectural design perfection.
Credit: Jen Hochstadt
CC: On a personal note, what is your favorite thing about living in coastal Maine?
LR: Seeing the amazing beauty of God’s creation and living in it. The simple and slower life. It’s home.
Credit: The Rope Co.
CC: For someone visiting Maine for the first time, what must they do, see or eat?
LR: My sister is the owner/operator of The Dip Net in Port Clyde, ME. If you get there, you’ve gone to truly one the most amazing places in the world. Her food is amazing and the experience of this quintessential Maine fishing village in unique. They’re always packed, so know that if you head down there!
Credit: The Dip Net
CC: When you're not working on The Rope Co. what will we find you doing?
LR: Up until this year I was on my lobster boat from July-Thanksgiving, but Hannah and I had been praying about it and decided it was time to go all-in on The Rope Co. I don’t believe that will be the end of my lobstering days, but I am enjoying time with Hannah and our two girls. We love to go on adventures around Maine, and no, I can’t give away all of our secret spots! Spending time with our immediate family, church family and participating in different ministries and local community events. I love adventure and the outdoors; I love to hike mountains where no one else goes and I love to go on nostalgic deer hunts in northern Maine in November.
Credit: Jen Hochstadt
For more on The Rope Co. follow along at @TheRopeCompany.
Credit: Jen Hochstadt
How can I order one and what’s the price?
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