PORTLAND, Maine (April 16, 2024) - The Black Box on Washington Avenue, Portland’s first repurposed shipping container and retail incubator, is excited to announce the newest additions to its incubator retail space: Pinebury, Treibdesign, and Saudade Floral.
Rooted in cycling, but dedicated to all outdoor pursuits that move people year-round, Maine-based Pinebury is a new outdoor apparel company that focuses on domestic manufacturing, merino wool, and classic design. Pinebury launched to the market in the spring of 2023 exclusively as direct-to-consumer, and this week the brand announced the opening of its doors in Portland, Maine’s Washington Avenue neighborhood. Pinebury was founded by Kyle Rancourt, who is also co-owner of Maine footwear maker Rancourt & Co.
“While we started as an online-only brand, I quickly realized that getting the product in customer’s hands is the best way to tell the story of the quality and comfort of our apparel,” said Pinebury founder Kyle Rancourt. “The Black Box is the perfect opportunity to dip our toes in the water of brick and mortar retail.”
Treibdesign is a multidisciplinary design studio started by Kaspar Heinrici, an industrial designer who has branched out into mural painting, graphic, apparel, and accessories design. The Treibdesign pop-up shop is a place to see the design process from original hand sketch or foraged natural pigment painting to final skateboard design or graphic t-shirt. The pop up features Maine craft and design from the Treibdesign studio and other local designers and makers. The shop will also feature ceramics from Little Gray Studios whose Swedish heritage imbues modern shapes with thoughtful textures and surface designs.
“Opening the Treibdesign popup allows me to display the rarely seen process behind all of my diverse projects from sculpture to apparel and highlight the work of other Maine makers. There are highly complex art projects that took years to develop as well as fun souvenir items for visitors to Maine, something for everyone.”
Saudade is a community artist's take on the classic floral and gift shop. Run by florist and printmaker Jo Ferry, Saudade highlights local flowers, hand-printed art and local gifts made by a selection of Portland artists. Saudade is known for its cozy femme vibes and will be in The Black Box through June.
Moonday Coffee and Bay Bowls remain as the bookend units to The Black Box and will continue to operate on a regular, full-time schedule. The new businesses locations and hours are listed below:
Saudade occupies Unit 2 of The Black Box and is open Wednesday - Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Follow along and learn more via @saudadeflore.
Pinebury occupies Unit 3 of The Black Box and is open Thursday - Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Follow along and learn more via @pinebury.
Treibdesign occupies Unit 4 of The Black Box and is open Thursday, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.; and Sunday, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Follow along and learn more via @treibdesign.
The Black Box opened in November 2018 with leases designed to be flexible and to accommodate business owners who want space to test a concept or provide street-front retail space without a long-term commitment. Read more about The Black Box concept and mission here.
About The Black Box
The Black Box offers unique and flexible retail space in Portland, Maine's East End, in the heart of inner Washington Avenue. The single-story structure is built using repurposed shipping containers. Each of the five units is approximately 300 square feet, offering move-in ready space and 8’ wide double glass doors off the sidewalk. For more information, visit www.tbbwashington.com or follow the journey on Instagram or Facebook.
