It feels spring-ish, right? COVID seems to be getting behind us, days are getting longer, and we are starting to plan for summer. It's all about hope folks. We have had an exciting first few months of 2022. We fought off a COVID spike that hit our shop, shot a Netflix pilot, showed off our axes at the Outdoor Retailer trade show, started working with the University of Maine's Manufacturing Extension Partnership to plot out a significant shop expansion, and began to fill up our event calendar (finally!)
Over three days spread across January and February we were filmed by Kristan Vermeulen's team from Makers Of the USA for a Netflix pilot focusing on the unique maker community in Maine.
At our shop we took the film makers through the axe making process and history of B&C, spent an afternoon in Oakland with our friend Howard Hardy who detailed the rich heritage of axe making in Maine, and finished at The Woods Maine in Norway around a campfire with The Mallet Bros. Band talking creativity, collaboration and what makes the Maine maker community tick.
Stay tuned!
Demand for our heirloom quality axes has always exceeded our capacity to make them. Thank you to everyone who has ordered and waited to receive their handmade B&C axe. We appreciate your patience and support of our small business.
But it is time to grow. Significantly. In order to meet demand, add new products like our Forester's Friend Maine Wedge Double Bit Cruiser, and maybe someday (gulp!) have inventory we are planning a significant expansion. To do this we are partnering with folks way smarter than us. We hosted teams from the University of Maine's Manufacturing Extension Partnership and Maine's Small Business Development Center to gather ideas on smart expansion. We are also participating in Maine Outdoor Brand's Compass Program this spring to help dial in our growth plans.
We'll keep you all apprised on our progress and may be reaching out to some of you for help and advice!
As part of the Maine Outdoor Brands delegation, we showed off our axes at the the Outdoor Retailer Snow Show in Denver in late January. Outdoor Retailer is a trade show for outdoor gear companies and retailers to check out new products. While a smaller event than past years due to COVID, we still picked up a few new dealers including one in Norway!
