Portland Made, Part I

Today's post is written by Eric Gold, a freelance writer in Portland and editor of portlandmade.com. This is Part I of a Portland Made miniseries. 

In Portland, as anyone who can read knows, you could eat at a different food cart and wash it down with a new local microbrew every day for a month—and you’d just be getting started. But Portlanders bring the same level of craft, inspiration, and collaborative enthusiasm to their work in wood, metal, leather, clay, and fabric as they do to their Probats, cocktail shakers, and saucepans.

Portland Made launched in April with the mission of promoting Portland, Oregon-based makers, manufacturers, and retailers of local goods. You’ll find more information on these products at Portland Made, along with the stories behind the makers who make Portland one of the most creative cities in the world.

Walnut Studiolo Seat Trunk (pictured above)
Geoff and Valerie Franklin started Walnut Studiolo to market Geoff’s leather and wood bicycle accessories. The Seat Trunk, reminiscent of a St. Bernard’s brandy cask, will rescue your bike from unstylish anonymity. Still, the ex-architect Franklin maintains a sober design stance—people occasionally ask where the “bling” is. “My aesthetic opinion on the gear is function first,” he says.

Portland Bee Balm
Brad Swift’s lip balm, made from the wax of the ten to fifty thousand (depending on the season) Italian honeybees in his Portland backyard and other natural ingredients, is available in Brooklyn at the Herb Shoppe on Atlantic Avenue, or online. Swift, who quit his job to make bee balm full time in spring 2012, is smoothing out his operation. “Everything’s getting better all the time,” he says. “Each step, every time I do it better.”

Breach Industries O!Snap Clip
This proprietary TPU alloy clip is magnetized to attach to your sleeve or collar and keep your headphone cord out of the way. When you get back from a run or the driving range, the clip keeps your headphones handy on the fridge or any metal surface.
A reflective sticker keeps you safe at night, but makers Justin Metras and Mieszko Kruger are happy to swap it out for your company logo.

Clive Coffee Clive Stand
Mark Hellweg and Delaney Kelly designed the Clive Stand, made from salvaged Oregon walnut, to hold the Hario V60 dripper and decanter. Committed to sharing knowledge as well as excellent coffee equipment, the Clive Coffee site has tutorials and this video showing the stand’s construction.

Read: Portland Made, Part II.

(Photos courtesy of Portland Made.)