Mainebiz

V O L . X X X N O. X X S E P T E M B E R 2 , 2 0 2 4 20 S TA R T U P S / E N T R E P R E N E U R S H I P F O C U S As with so many companies, Rough & Tumble began almost unintention- ally. Durham said she was actually in the middle of designing a line of children's clothing when she came up with a tote consisting of sewn-together rectangles of silk. "In 2008, I happened to put together a simple tote for a trip," says Durham. "I hadn't sewn in 20 years since my son Halley was a baby. As simple as it was, fashioning this three-dimensional useful object was the puzzle I had been looking for." After that Durham cultivated a following through a website built with son Halley's help. Within six months of starting the brand, Rough & Tumble had backorders of 16 weeks. "e balance of building demand and meeting demand is today still on the fore- front of strategy," says Durham. "Being committed to keeping production in Maine has been challenging in terms of meeting demand, but has kept our qual- ity high. is allows us to manage qual- ity in real time, not after the fact." Durham opened a workshop in Norway, Oxford County, where she was able to take a small team of leather artisans and build the company. She later moved the operation to an 8,000-square-foot space at Fort Andross in Brunswick. e firm added a direc- tor of marketing and built relationships with Sundance and Garnet Hill, both of which had strong catalog businesses. "We have shipped our 'Made in Maine' handbags to almost every coun- try," says Durham. "We even filled an order shipped to the Vatican." But the missing piece was a retail location where shoppers could see the bags in person. At the Old Port store, clients can book a "Be the designer" session with a specialist and get a one-on-one design consultation. e store offers wedding participants the option where, for example, bridesmaids can design a clutch for the ceremony. Guests can choose a gift card with a design session. e Portland store is available to book for design parties. For more of a standard shopping experience, the store offers a range of handbag designs, including the 1903 and 1904 packs, the Boho, Original City Safari and the Hobo Pack. "As retail is changing, we rec- ognize that we have always been forward-thinking in terms of the retail experience. is is not new to us," says Durham. At Brick South on Thompson's Point Sold on Kids Auction Thursday, September 19th 5:30pm Presented By: Live Music by the band Plush Live & Silent Auction Additional Support From: Become a champion for children! or visit SweetserAuction.org PURCHASE TICKETS HERE: Help children & their families aord lifesaving mental health treatment and support regardless of their ability to pay. » C O N T I N U E D F RO M P R E V I O U S PA G E P H O T O / J I M N E U G E R Natasha Durham, owner of Rough & Tumble, opened the handbag maker's first retail shop at 178 Middle St. in Portland.

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