Thread & Whisk TRADITION WITH A COMTEMPORARY SOUL

As a Swede, I feel instantly at home at Meri and Carey’s, the duo behind Thread & Whisk. Their aprons, oven mitts, kitchen towels, and bags all have a Scandinavian feel about them. There’s a warm austerity that makes my breakfast-stained sweatshirt suddenly feel completely shabby.

“We strive to be as sustainable as possible, so that both the planet and the people on it can keep living here. That’s important to us,” says Meri.

Visiting their design studio is a thrill: boxes of buttons, hooks and eyelets share the space with thread spools and cutting mats. This is true handiwork, even though they admit that they cannot do it all alone.

“It would take much too long, so we work with local seamstresses who are amazing,” says Carey.

Perusing their website, Meri’s background as a chef in New Orleans and beyond becomes clear. Recipes like

Friendsgiving turkey and Color Me Impressed summer salad pop up. The Thread & Whisk products belong in the kitchen, products meant to make life both easier and more beautiful. The high quality ensures that you will enjoy them for a long time.

I ask them how they would describe themselves and their products, and the answer is immediate.

“We work in a traditional way with a contemporary soul. Our motto is: slow down and savor everyday pleasures.”

Yes, that’s it. With their eye for detail and material, they rest on the shoulders of generations of seamstresses. Combine that with their modern design, and the result is beauty and function in one.

I buy a complicated apron that takes me a minute to understand how to put on, but once I do, it turns out to be ingenious. THREADANDWHISK.COM

Betsy & Iya JEWELRY FOR PEOPLE WHO LAUGH LOUDLY IN BARS

Betsy has a smile that could cheer up the grumpiest curmudgeon. Sure, her natural charm shines through, but she’s also been to clown school. Now that’s interesting, I think, as curiosity gets the best of me. Technically, we are here to talk to a successful, female entrepreneur and jewelry designer. But when she tells me she’s been to clown school and played in a band in Aarhus, I have to know all about it.

“Everything you do in life contributes to who you become. I worked as a clown, but it paid nothing. One day, I was going through my mom’s old jewelry, and I was so inspired. I sat in a café writing down things in a notepad, and one of the things I wrote was ‘jewelry designer’. Now I have 17 employees and a company that designs and sells jewelry,” she says with a laugh as I do my best to follow along.

Successful entrepreneurs often come with a big personality, and Betsy is no exception. Her creativity spills over; she laughs through the whole interview, all while dropping nuggets of wisdom.

“We make jewelry for people who laugh loudly in bars, for people who drink too much coffee, for people who live.”

I like Betsy and her crew. Conformity is out the window, and we laugh raucously. This zest for life translates into the design. A wide ring that initially looks like an art deco pattern turns out to be the iconic St John’s Bridge in Portland. A lot of the designs make me think of ancient Egypt, with the addition of a hearty laugh.

Community is everything in Portland, so it goes without saying that the store carries pieces from other jewelry designers as well. You can even get a guided tour of the studio. With a cup of coffee, of course.

You can never have too much coffee.