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October 2, 2025

First-ever Maine Makers Month starts with a bang

Nick Rossi at Maine Makers Month event Photo / Renee Cordes Nick Rossi, left, gives a demonstration of his hand-crafted knives at the Maine Makers Month kickoff event in Portland.
By Renee Cordes

From artisanal knives forged in Vassalboro to colorful Rwandan baskets woven from sweetgrass, this week's kickoff for the first-ever Maine Makers Month showcased a wide range of products and talents.

"I like to cook and eat as much as I like to make knives," Nick Rossi said as he laid one of his knives outside the display case to give a demonstration that this cautious reporter tried not to get too close to.

Proud of his journeyman's training, Maine's only master bladesmith started working in the trade at age 15. As a one-person operation selling kitchen knives, utility knives and one-of-a-kind hand-forged versions, he's working through a huge order backlog.

"There's only just one of me and people want my knives," he said. "People love sharp stuff."

Rossi was among 20 artisans at Wednesday's expo in Portland inside the VIA Agency headquarters, creating a buzz inside the historic building that originally housed the Portland Public Library and later the Maine College of Art.

The event was organized by Kristan Vermeulen, founder and host of the "Makers of the USA" podcast, who was honored on the Mainebiz 40 Under 40 list in 2022. She recently joined VIA as director of business development.

Kristan Vermeulen
Photo / Renee Cordes
"Maine has always been a place of makers," Kristan Vermeulen, left, told attendees.

Sharing her own backstory, Vermeulen told attendees that her love for makers started as a young child when she saw her grandfather fixing cars and renovating his home and learned sewing from her grandmother, who hand-made quilts and sold antiques.

"Maine has always been place of makers," she said.

"Every artist, woodworker, metalworker, musician, designer, chef, brewer, farmers and entrepreneur contributes to the fabric of our state," she continued. "And together, they are what make Maine, Maine."

The event was the first of many for Maine Makers Month, as formalized in a proclamation by Gov. Janet Mills encouraging all citizens to "support and celebrate the makers who help shape our state's identity, economy and future."

While some of the participants already knew each other, others took the opportunity to make new connections and chat about the possibility of working together as they sampled delicacies from mainelove sparkling water to sweet nibbles in cheerful pink wrappers from Mindy's Munchies, a franchise in Falmouth owned by Marlo and Troy Murphy.

owners of Mindy's Munchies
Photo / Renee Cordes
Marlo and Troy Murphy of Mindy's Munchies had plenty of sweet treats on offer.

Mike Duguay, Maine's commissioner of economic and community development and an entrepreneur himself, gave a shoutout to fellow business owners in the room for putting the Pine Tree State on the map as a hub of innovation and creativity.

"Thank you so much for taking your talent and bringing it out not only to the people of Maine, but also beyond our borders in the country and also the world," he said.

For Elaine Kinney, "the event was a great way to share the story of my beer soap brand, White Pine Bath + Brew, and connect with other makers to brainstorm business ideas and potential collaborations," she said the next day.

With Maine Makers Month now in full swing, Vermeulen said she hopes to have "much bigger initiatives" in 2026.

More information

Find the full schedule of Maine Makers Month events here. 

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