Take a neglected 7,000-square-foot industrial building in North Portland, introduce nine creatives looking to elevate craft in the modern era, and what you might get is something like Beam & Anchor.
Last Winter, co-founding couple Robert and Jocelyn Rahm, partnering with Austin-transplant Currie Person (see our post Shopper’s Diary: Spartan in Austin, Texas), resolved to do just that. Today Beam & Anchor is a group of nine (and growing), with members hailing from locations such as Missouri, Kansas, Wyoming, California, Texas, Arizona, and Michigan. What draws them to Portland? The constant hum of artists much like themselves, all drawn to the nostalgia of honest and traditional design.
The converted building features an upstairs shared studio space used for woodworking, apothecary chemistry, upholstering, designing, and painting. Directly below is a retail shop full of custom furniture, art, ceramics, jewelry, and home goods–a revolving inventory directly from the artists. Stay tuned for a look at the retail shop, read more about the Beam & Anchor crew, and visit them at 2710 N. Interstate Avenue in Portland, Oregon.
Photography by Michael A. Muller for Remodelista.
Above: Robert and Jocelyn Rahm’s 100-year-old-farm table in the shop kitchen has “become a gathering place for collaboration, bread breaking, and story telling,” as they say.
Above: Reclaimed materials and found objects are used as wall art in the shop kitchen/meeting area.
Above: A table made from sawhorses and an Aalto-inspired wood stool serve as an instant office space.
Above: A community chalk board for recording inspiration.
Above: Beam & Anchor creators Taylor Ahlmark and Nori Gilbert are apothecary crafters and soap makers, respectively.
Above: Lab glass, amber apothecary bottles, and bottles of essential oils for soap making and more.
Above: A room dedicated to woodworking, reclaiming, renovating, and designing.
Above: Scrap wood boards stacked according to size.
Above: Woodworking and designing on a handmade drafting table.
N.B.: Traveling to Portland? See more shops in our Portland, Oregon City Guide.
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