Stitch Fashion Show Fundraiser Draws an Elite Crowd
Shannon Richards Shannon Richards

Stitch Fashion Show Fundraiser Draws an Elite Crowd

THE MAINE CRAFTS ASSOCIATION CRUSHES IT WITH STITCH 2024! Fashion designers came together to celebrate wearable art, sell their clothing and other goods. This year the show was held in Portland’s Bayside hotspot for large functions - Maine Studio Works on Anderson Street. Hay Runner owner and most recent past president of the 501c3, Shannon Richards, helped manage the event with friends and family volunteers including Lizz Brown and Whitney Gill.

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Our Apprentice Program: Paid On-the-Job Training for Aspiring Cabinet Makers
Shannon Richards Shannon Richards

Our Apprentice Program: Paid On-the-Job Training for Aspiring Cabinet Makers

Hay Runner's cabinet shop in Rockport, in partnership with EducateMaine, is excited to offer a new approach to bringing in the next generation of woodworkers. Starting this September, our apprentice program will combine paid on-the-job training with an intentional curriculum to integrate aspiring cabinet makers into the trades.

Unlike fifty years ago, kids aren’t growing up with a garage full of tools at their disposal. Those parents that spent evenings and weekends tinkering and fixing, building and repairing are endangered species. Fewer homeowners are tackling house projects themselves and even fewer have the skill sets and tools to attempt them. This means kids aren’t growing up searching for the right size wrenches to hand to their dads, or learning how to use elbow grease and leverage to their advantage.

Integration into the trades by osmosis seems like it is in the past.

Over the course of three years (6,000 hours), in a specially designed training program, apprentices will learn the foundations of woodworking and cabinetry, high-end casework, millwork, window and door production, and finally installation, all while being a contributing member of the shop team. In addition, proper tool and material identification, application, and maintenance, shop safety policies and procedures, and company systems will be covered in the curriculum.

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Economic Update Summer 2024
shannon richards shannon richards

Economic Update Summer 2024

The Maine Market breaks $400,000 on average for a single family for the first time in history.

It’s a juicy time to be in business… or to be the average Joe.

Mortgage Interest rates holding at over 7% for the average home buyer, which is low looking over 30 years, but feels catastrophic given the last few annual cycles. Rates are even higher if you want to finance a second home or a business.

Despite this fact, the average cost of a Maine home has crested $400,000 for the first time. Ever! The average home in Maine is selling 5% higher than last year at this time.

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