We've been in business for over four years and honestly, the craft of it has kind of progressed over time. When my husband and I started, it was literally just in our backyard. We had a bunch of pallets laying around and we were like, oh, we could make something cool with that. So he was like, just give me a little, you know, an afternoon and he used the jigsaw and he cut out a bunch of Maine signs. From there, we were like, well, this is amazing. Everyone from Maine loves being from Maine and kind of has pride in being from Maine. So people picked up on it. They were like, oh, I want one of those for my house. So we kind of continue to build on it. What started as Reclaimed Sign Company progressed over time, where I just kind of fell in love with designing all of these Maine things, what it was mainly, you know, trying to use, reclaimed and eco-conscious materials. And we've continued, obviously, to bring that throughout everything that we do. So what again, started as kind of just signs now is a full line of home decor items, Maine giftware, apparel, and continues to grow every year," said Mary Zambello, owner, maker, and designer of Reclaimed Maine.
Thanks to Mary's husband, the idea of utilizing reclaimed woods in her craft lifted off the ground. Her background is in architecture, design, and digital marketing, and with all of those skills in her back pocket, her business has been quite a success.
"There's always a little bit of anxiety going off or by yourself. But I think because I did it on the side for so long. I really kind of pushed the limits of sort of pushing it as far as I could go being you know, having another full-time job, to the fact that you know, it wasn't, I had to kind of choose one way or the other. And I don't regret it a bit, being able to go out on my own honestly, it's just helped me to be able to continue to expand and put more time into it. And honestly just have more mental capacity to, you know, put more into it, and honestly have a little bit more time for myself, which is allowed me to get outdoors more. And really push that side of things and just get inspired more," said Mary.
Mary has recently partnered with L.L. Bean and they are now carrying some of her home decor items. It is a big accomplishment as Mary is a huge L.L. Bean fan.
"It's a dream come true. My dad worked at L.L. Bean when I was a kid, and so we kind of lived and breathed it and growing up, and I always just think back, you know, it was picking out your first L.L. Bean backpack as a kid, and then you know, growing up, it was L.L. Bean, boots, and flannels, and then, you know, getting into my adult life. Reclaiming my love for the outdoors, they were always my go-to, for my fishing and camping gear. So I think just from a personal standpoint, I was like, oh, my gosh, L.L. Bean, dream come true. Then from a business standpoint, I mean, what an iconic Maine brand and they've honestly just been such an inspiration to me, with reclaimed, and we have, you know, very similar missions and values. So, you know, from a brand and business side of things, it's always been a goal of mine, they've been kind of one of those companies that, you know, again, we share so many values that I just, it would be such a great fit, to kind of share, you know, the same love for the outdoors, and the products just seemed to coincide so well," said Mary.
Tune in to learn more about Mary's maker journey, her future plans for the business, and what community means to her.
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