The Rope Co. Logan Rackliff, a fifth-generation lobsterman, knows rope. He grew up surrounded by hard-working entrepreneurs in midcoast Maine, was hauling traps at age six, and captaining his own boat at age 10. Despite the family fishing legacy, much of Rackliff ’s family encouraged him to get a college degree and “a good, steady job.” “That’s what the culture at the time was telling everyone to do,” Rackliff says. “But also, lobstermen work extremely hard through much adversity while wearing themselves down. It provides for them, but there can be uncertain and hard times in the fishing industry.”
His maternal grandfather, Byron Crowe, offered different advice, however. “He said, ‘You have your own boat in operation, why would you leave?’” Rackliff says. “He drilled into my head that being an entrepreneur is the way to go. It was almost like there isn’t any other option in life.”
Rackliff graduated from UMaine Orono with a degree in construction management, but he didn’t enjoy construction and instead kept fishing, even while he was still a student. “I continued lobstering after college, but because of growing up around entrepreneurs and being strongly encouraged by my grandfather, my plan was always to start my own separate business.” In 2013, he and his wife, Hannah, started The Rope Co., making doormats and other products from woven lobster rope.
In fact, Crowe’s own dabbling in handwoven rope products gave Rackliff the idea for the business. The Rhode Island–raised Crowe had grown the Leavers lace-manufacturing business started by his father to include a mill in Maine. In the 1960s, when he foresaw the industry’s decline due to the popularity of cheaper, knitted lace, he switched gears to meet the demand for rope on Maine’s working waterfront. Crowe designed and built his own rope machines and opened Crowe Rope, in Warren, which grew to become the largest rope manufacturer in the country. Crowe sold the business in 1994, when the stress of dealing with regulations and overseas competition overwhelmed his love of tinkering. “I think Gramp was always more about being inventive and industrious than making money,” Rackliff says.
When Crowe Rope’s new owners started getting away from making lobster-pot warp, Rackliff ’s father, Craig, started his own factory in St. George. Today, High-Liner Rope supplies three-strand twisted polypropylene rope to fishermen up and down the East Coast. “It’s a small operation, but Dad and his great team over the years have created something special,” Rackliff says. “High-Liner Rope would not be what it is today without their core team players and all the years of innovation at Crowe Rope.”
The first fishing-rope products were chafing gear handwoven by sailors to protect ships from repeated rubbing and sliding. While utilitarian, they were beautiful, and the weaving techniques were often complex. These sailor traditions were passed down over the years and the first rope mats were commercialized in the 1980s.
The Rackliffs’ family connection to High-Liner Rope gave them an “instant niche” when they launched The Rope Co., Logan says. “My father and his team make quality rope, and we also have the knowledge and capacity to make colors and textures of rope that others cannot.”
The Rope Co. strives to provide timeless designs executed with high-quality materials. Rackliff says he once thought “rope is just rope,” but now, “I’ve kind of become a rope expert.” As he researched other suppliers and competitors, Rackliff learned how different rope characteristics affect a final product, including how a mat lies on the floor, how long it holds up, and how color works within rope. He came up with strong quality-control guidelines and if a product doesn’t measure up, it gets pulled and set aside. While The Rope Co. embraces that imperfections are part of the character of handcrafted goods, its strong QC guidelines for making and delivering consistent, beautiful products has gained the company many repeat customers. “Interior designers are some
of our biggest fans,” he says.
Through the SlowGoods Podcast they produce and in everything they do, Rackliff and The Rope Co. team want to disrupt the current consumer culture that leads to chaos in our homes and lives and transform it to one that leads to more peace. “We want to inspire people to change how they think about buying things,” Rackliff says. “We all have a budget. We can’t buy the nicest stuff all the time. But if we embrace delayed gratification and save to buy the good stuff, our things will last much longer, and we can achieve more peace and joy in our homes. “
To view The Rope Co.’s full product line, visit theropeco.com. 207-593-8278.
From Tidal to Tithing
As The Rope Co. took off, Rackliff realized he wanted to do more than make money. “We’re making great products, and we’re doing what we’re passionate about, but at the same time, we want to make a more immediate and direct impact by supporting and giving to other causes we believe in,” he says. In addition to organizing local volunteer opportunities for their staff, the Rackliffs are inspired by their faith to support multiple non-profit groups with a percentage of The Rope Co. profits, with the largest support going to Agape International Missions, a Gospel-based organization that rescues victims of human trafficking in Cambodia and Belize. The nonprofit also runs restoration homes where survivors receive counseling, education, and vocational training. “The subject of human trafficking is heavy on my and Hannah’s hearts,” Rackliff says. “I’d love to do more, and maybe even volunteer on the ground someday.”