Culture
The Rope Co.
Logan learned to navigate a lobster boat before he was able to ride his bike without training wheels.
Image courtesy of: Sunnyside Gardens
The Rope Co. is owned by Logan and Hannah Rackliff, both of who grew up with lobstermen traditions that go back five generations. Logan’s great-great-grandfather was a steamboat captain and an accomplished seaman for his entire life. The following four generations of the Rackliff family followed in his footsteps, creating a history steeped in sea and lobster traditions.
Two generations later, Logan’s grandfather started a lace-manufacturing mill after being inspired by the bustling of the Industrial Revolution. He started the mill when he was just 18 years old and before long, he owned 5 mills. Soon thereafter, he went on to build Crowe Rope which became the largest rope manufacturer in the country from the mid-1980s until he sold it in 1994.
Logan making a mat…
Image courtesy of: The Rope Co.
By the mid-1990’s, the Rackliff family was well known through Maine due to their expanding lobster operations. Business was great and thus, there was a high demand for lobstermen materials such as boats, buoys, and equally as important… ropes.
Rackliff’s father, knowing the industry from top to bottom, started “High-Liner Rope” in 1998. To this day, High Liner Rope is used by the majority of lobstermen from Florida to Canada. After graduating from college, Logan returned to lobstering… but in a different way. He decided that he wanted to start a business similar to those family members of generations past .
A fog grey and navy stripe doormat.
Image courtesy of:The Rope Co.
In the winter of 2013, Logan and his wife Hannah started The Rope Co. in the tiny Maine fishing village of Spruce Head. Among the items produced was a line of nautical doormats, keychains, placemats, and storage bins from the exact same rugged ropes that lobstermen throughout the Eastern Seaboard use.
The Rope Co.’s products are unique, practical, and attractive. The designs are made using neutral colored materials that are durable, resistant to mold and mildew, easy to clean, and made with UV protection so that they don’t fade after countless hours in the sun.
Woven polyester placemats, made from the same materials used to make lobster boat rope. These are made using a repurposed machine from the 1970s.
Dimensions are: 18″ (length) x 12″ (width)
Image courtesy of: Food 52
Staying true to his family’s values, Logan employs three principles to his company: integrity, quality, and appreciation. Integrity is maintaining good values and staying true to what you believe. Quality is ensuring that, time and time again, you can trust an item to do what it is supposed to do. And appreciation is being thankful for the people, places, and opportunities that come your way.
For a company that provides hand-craftsmanship, knowing that these values are both vital and at the pinnacle of their ethos is enough to make everyone believe in their products!
The net basket is a sculptural basket with an imperfect form.
Image courtesy of: The Rope Co.
About founding his company while staying close to home and true to the values he grew up with, Logan said (courtesy of Down East Shop), “I always wanted to have a business in Maine, and create local jobs. This felt like a great opportunity. We love Maine — it’s where our passion is and we want to share that with people who have a nostalgia for Maine too.”
