I feel very lucky to be partnering with Peter Baldwin for the installation of this weekend's pop-up shop in Belfast. Based in Brooks, Maine, Peter is a woodworker who produces beautifully-crafted orchard ladders. For my purposes, setting up shop in a space where the walls are to remain untouched and with the benefit of very high ceilings - these freestanding sturdy ladders are the perfect solution to pop-up fixtures. A variety of Peter's offerings - straight, pointed and tripods - will be seen. Sourced from across Maine, the wood used is bigtooth aspen for the side rails which contrasts nicely with ash for the rungs.
Peter has lived in Maine since 1971. When considering a potential product made of wood, he turned to his home state of New York where he grew up in an orchard and spent his childhood playing on tree ladders. His first year was 1984 and he built fifty ladders; the following year, one hundred. Currently he averages 1000-1200 ladders a year. His work is widely distributed and his largest markets are back in New York and in Michigan.
Everyone to whom I've mentioned Peter knows and highly regards him. I'm still new to the area, but I gather Baldwin Arts is an institution in these parts. His generosity extended to allowing me to grab offcuts from the shop to route into hanging rods and plane into shelving. (Another byproduct will go to a friend's sawdust toilet.) The result is a flexible modular system that is high functioning and visually interesting. One more reason to visit the shop!
Pre-inventory:
