The Maker Community in Portland

(This blog is part travelogue, part advice on traveling with a dog, part discovery of what’s on the minds of Americans, Canadians and other nationalities, part commentary, and other musings.)

(Maker Allie Rivenbark (right) with client Sarah Toor)

I learned a new word in Portland: maker. Not exactly a new word, but in L.A., people wouldn’t use the word "maker" unless maybe they were Christians and then they’d spell it with a capital M.

Anyway, in Portland, maker is a thing – and a good thing at that. It’s used to describe what we in L.A. would call a designer and/or a craftsperson. I learned this word from a Portland maker – Allie Rivenbark who, with her wife MC (for Marie-Claude) Lemay, are leading metal-and-wood furniture creators in the Northwest. Their clients have included residential owners, hotels, retail stores and more. They are currently working on a big project for a Seattle sustainable restaurant.

(MC welding at the LR Design Co. studio in Portland)

Allie is delightful and is a friend of my dear friend Mari Marks in L.A. Despite being very busy (and, in fact, MC was occupied with welding during my entire visit in their very cool studio), she told me about her firm LR Design Co., her past and present as an actor and maker, how she met MC, and what it’s like for the L.A. transplant to live in Portlandia.

(Allie and MC's friendly dog Ella stays with them in the studio)

Allie first knew MC in 1994 when they both lived in Atlanta, recent college graduates who were enjoying the thriving gay scene in the city. Allie confesses she had a crush on MC but was too shy to make an overture. Fast forward to 2010: the two reconnected via Facebook (long but interesting story) and Allie flew to Atlanta to visit MC.

“We connected, fell in love and then I flew back to L.A., packed my things and moved back to Atlanta in 2011,” Allie said. They were married in 2012 in New York.

During the years apart, Allie had spent time pursuing an acting career in New York, followed by acting in L.A. and also working for a design firm, while MC stayed in Atlanta, taught herself welding and started a furniture-making business.

In May 2013 they moved to Portland because they wanted to be in the Northwest and formally launched their design firm. Their business, which they operate out of a 3,100-square-foot studio in Tillamook Industrial Row, is thriving.

(Kai Dano works at Allie and MC's studio)

After taking a long break from the theater, Allie has begun acting again. “I hadn’t auditioned for nine years,” she said, “and then I got the lead in a production of ‘Body Awareness’ at the Twilight Theatre Company, which was recently named the third best theater in Portland, after the larger Portland Center Stage and Artist Repertory Theatre.” (The theater community in Portland is thriving.)

There is much she likes about Portland – the “vibe,” food, scenery, water, outdoor activities. She’s also keen on Portlanders’ love for their city, as well as for the “Made in Portland” loyalty that pervades everything from restaurants to makers.

“But I miss L.A. because I miss my friends and the culture,” she said. “There’s a cultural je ne sais quoi that’s missing in Portland. They’re a little behind culturally.”

(Allie discusses ideas with client Sarah Toor)

She also laments that though Portland might be affordable by L.A. standards, a typical one-bedroom apartment for $1,200 a month is out of reach of many Portland residents because so many are making just minimum wage. The big corporations headquartered in Portland – including Nike, Adidas and Columbia Sportswear – employ just a fraction of the Portland population.

Meanwhile what about Portland's weather? She doesn't mind the rain except when delivering their finished products; because they are made of metal, she and MC have to worry about rusting.

Allie pointed out: “We have to set our deliveries on non-rain days.”