Mill Town Creativity #201

Tammy Ackerman:

Artists are disruptors. They do things that don't always, you know, follow the mainstream. And being able to think like that creatively, whatever your field might be, if you can think like an artist and a designer, it makes you more resourceful in your. Whatever your career path is. The artists that change the world are good at disrupting and collaborating.

Roxi Suger:

I think that the kernels of our passions can emerge very early, but I think that anybody at any time can set a dream for themselves and go down the path to follow it. So I was very lucky in having that passion emerge so early.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

This is Dr. Lisa Belisle and you are listening to Love Maine radio show number 201, Milltown Creativity, airing for the first time on Sunday, July 19, 2015. Maine's industrial mills have employed multiple generations of families through the manufacturing of products such as paper, shoes and textiles. Although many are no longer used in that capacity, they are experiencing a rebirth and once again becoming centers of creativity and commerce. Today we explore this subject with Biddeford Mill aficionados Tammy Ackerman, co founder of the community arts organization InGen Inc. And Angel Rocks founder and fashion designer Roxy Sugar. Thank you for joining us. I've spent a considerable amount of time in Biddeford being that half of my family is from that area. And this individual that is across the microphone from me today has also spent a considerable amount of time in Biddeford, probably more than me, honestly. This is Tammy Ackerman. She's the co founder and executive director of Engine Incorporated, a community arts organization based in Biddeford. She. She has served as the board president for the Heart of Biddeford, a Main Street Maine organization, and she has lived in Maine for nine years. Thanks so much for coming in and also for doing all this great stuff in Biddeford.

Tammy Ackerman:

Oh, well, thanks for having me.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Tammy, where'd you come from?

Tammy Ackerman:

Well, originally I'm a South Dakotan, one of the few that have left the state, I think. But then most recently before I came to Maine, I was in Nevada for 10 years in Reno.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

So why Maine? That seems like kind of a. A disparate mix of states.

Tammy Ackerman:

They're not dissimilar by any means. You know, there's, there's a lot of similarities between like the geographic disparity and everything population. But why Maine? That is the most frequently asked question for me. It was sort of a bit of a dart throw to be quite honest. I'd never really spent any time in New England and specifically Maine before coming here. But it was a desire for some change. You know, when I left Nevada, when I was thinking about leaving Nevada, the housing market was at its height and I was kind of, I was living on the fringe, you know, on the perimeter of Reno. And I really wanted to live in a historic downtown or a downtown that had some character and realized quickly that downtown Reno was just untouchable. Little 1,000 foot bungalows were going for $400,000 at that time. I mean, this is at the height of the housing bubble. Right. So my then partner and I at the time decided to take a trip around the country and start looking for a different community. And we started out in Nevada, went up through Canada and dropped down through Vermont and Maine, and ironically enough drove through Biddeford and wanted to go to the old Rennie's department store that was on Main street because my partner was a big fan of Carhartts and liked the Rennie's store. So I got my first glimpse of Bideford and its mills and was just blown away by the architecture.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Well, that's interesting. Is Rennies still in Biddeford, by the way?

Tammy Ackerman:

They are not. They moved to Sacco for more parking.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Oh, okay. All right. So it's interesting that Rennies would bring you into the Biddeford area, but that somehow there was something about Biddeford that kind of, that kept you there.

Tammy Ackerman:

Yeah, and what kept me there, if I might, is the Heart of Biddeford, actually the Main street organization which you mentioned in my bio. There's a really great group of people working to revitalize downtown Biddeford and they just, they put out like an all hands on deck campaign to recruit me when I showed up there. And I just, I got involved from day one volunteering in the downtown area and you know, working on the design committee of the Heart of Bideford. So kind of taking a look at, you know, you know, the parks and the storefronts and things like that. And I just haven't turned back since that day. What is your background in? Art and graphic design? So I'm a visual person, and I like architecture. I wanted to be an architect, but I kind of chickened out when I was in college, so turned to graphic design as a career, which I was doing pretty much up until last year, in addition to Engine. But Engine has decided to take all my time.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Well, I think that's. It's actually not the worst thing to be taking your time because it seems like all of the things that you've done are so creative in nature. And Engine is a very creative organization for people who aren't familiar. Describe it.

Tammy Ackerman:

Well, Engine is a little bit of a hybrid, but we call it a community arts organization because we're based and embedded in the community. But we focus on attracting creative people into the downtown area specifically to show them. Just like I became aware of how beautiful the downtown is or could be. And so the gallery acts as an attractor in that respect, and it also supports the arts community. So we mostly focus on emerging artists and early career artists, for the most part. And then the back end of the space, physically anyway, is our arts education piece. And so that is there to serve the community and specifically youth. So we act in two different ways. There as an asset to the community, but also an attractor for economic and community development. And then outside of what happens within our own space, we coordinate the monthly art walk. We're working on a public art program. We're part of the city's comprehensive planning committee. Because I really think the arts should have a voice at the table, politically speaking and in planning. So that's kind of what we are, I would say, if I had to compare it to something that people know in Portland. We're a combination of Creative Portland Space, Gallery and maybe a little tiny bit aspirational to Mecca, but in our specific

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

area, I'm assuming that it helps people who are creative to have associations with other individuals who are creative, specifically in places like Biddeford, which are rising up and reimagining themselves.

Tammy Ackerman:

Yeah, I think the community piece is the biggest piece for me. It's, you know, we put on really nice shows and we do a great job with the gallery and that kind of thing, but it's really about people coming into that space and meeting people that they would have never met before or, you know, someone who's not familiar with art or a little intimidated by it to be Able to have a conversation around what, what it's all about. And it's really the social and community aspect that's the most important thing to me. And I don't mean to downplay the other pieces of what we do, but it's community building.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Well, tell me about some of your artists.

Tammy Ackerman:

Well, let's see, we've shown a whole gamut of artists from Lauren Fensterstock, who she hasn't had a solo show there, maybe she will someday, but she's been part of a couple group shows and so she's probably one of the more well known artists, at least in the Portland area. All the way to a community show where it's an open call, free for all kind of thing that, you know, everybody and their kid and their grandma can participate in. And it's so well received and we had over 150 pieces this year that we just, we didn't have any more wall space at all. And so, you know, we're not really carving out a name for ourselves in terms of the, you know, the specific kind of artist that we show. We try to have a broad appeal and reach both ends of the spectrum in terms of the kind of art.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

And what about the educational programs that you run?

Tammy Ackerman:

Our focus there has been moving toward the design related fields because number one, that's my background. But I'm not trying to impose my own perspective on it necessarily. But I do feel that art is valuable. I mean, it's just art education is valuable no matter what. I don't argue that point at all. But design is something more accessible for people. Meaning graphic design, video game design, 3D design, architecture, you know, things like that that lead to career paths is really where we're hoping to focus our attention. You know, how to build a website, you know, and make it look good. Not just have a website, but so the applied arts, I guess is really the focus.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

And have you had some that have been more popular than others?

Tammy Ackerman:

Anything to do with 3D printing and design tends to be the most popular. And then after school kids programming just in general, but with maker focus. So not just, you know, we're going to have a. Not just, I don't mean to downplay that, but it's not just focused on the arts and crafts side of it. But let's make. And let's integrate, you know, some technology and let's integrate some math and that whole STEM kind of focus that's in education right now. We're trying to make it steam, you know, by putting that a in the equation. And the A can be a little tricky for some people that don't necessarily think the arts are valuable. But we can't make a good acronym of putting a D in there for design. So I guess it could be steamed. But the D is really what a lot of people can relate to because these are careers that people understand. And sometimes, you know, the poor artists get kind of, you know, like, oh, you know, that's not a good career path. It is a good career path. You just have to reframe the way people think about it.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

That's a really good point. I know that when my daughter said that she wanted to be an art history major, for example, which requires some studio art, there were various people who said, well, what are you going to do with that major? And I said. I said, abby, just do what you love, because something will come of that. And that's really the important thing where we've gotten very focused on something that leads to something. Well, sometimes something leads somewhere and then somewhere else and then somewhere else. And I think what you're describing is, yeah, there are other things that are out there that aren't just straight path.

Tammy Ackerman:

Right. I mean, if I knew when I was 18, you know, going into college to be an artist, that I would be the director of an arts organization and an arts administrator writing grants and all this good stuff, you know, I would have never thought about that as a career path. And it took me a long time to get there, but I'm glad I did.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

You also live in that area. You live in Biddeford Sacco area. How does that match up to growing up in South Dakota?

Tammy Ackerman:

Yeah, well, I mean, in terms of just sort of the architecture of place, I grew up in a town that had a great downtown, and we spent a lot of time there. Our monolithic pieces of architecture were grain silos. And when I saw the mills here, it's like, oh, this is the same industry. Well, it's an industry, just a different manifestation of it. I've always been a fan of these great pieces of architecture in the world. South Dakota is a similar state to Maine in that it's very rural, it's a lot of poverty. There's only a few city centers to speak of, really. I grew up in One of the three, which was a town of 25,000 people, which is not really a city in a lot of people's eyes, but it had that feel of a more urban environment. Nevada was similar. I mean, there's Las Vegas, which, of course is huge and small, sprawling, and I Would never live there. But Reno had more of that kind of historic character, you know. And then there's very few other significant sized towns in Nevada. Very rural, not the same kind of rural, more, you know, not agricultural, but very rural and a lot of poverty again. So I seem to pick these states, you know, that have similarities in their, in their demographics.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

I've spent many Thanksgivings and Christmases and other family holidays in the Biddeford area. And I would describe the people that I've met as very hard working. They have some tenacity to them. At least the relatives who used to work in the mill. I know that there was tenacity there. I know that there were long days and big families and lots of mouths to feed. And so I'm wondering what your sense of the people is.

Tammy Ackerman:

It's an interesting community. I've not been exposed to sort of the Yankee mentality before moving here, which is I, I think one of somewhat reserve to begin with. Having lived in Nevada. It has more of a hey everybody, it's California. That's, you know, we're all smiling and happy and outgoing. And here my experience has been one of more reserve at first, at least until you sort of prove that you're not out to exploit or take anything. And that's been a big challenge, quite honestly. And you know, it's sort of a new concept for Biddeford to have an arts organization in the downtown. Historically there's been a lot of theater and performing arts with vaudeville and whatnot over the years, but not a huge focus on the visual arts. And I think the perception of engine has been, well, why do we need that? That'll be an ongoing thing, I think, for anyone really, but for us in particular in the type of town that we're in, to really show the value of what we're doing around community and around education.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Why is it called Engine?

Tammy Ackerman:

I think the reason we called it that is just the sort of startup nature of it. We're going to start something here and we're going to drive it forward and propel the creative community, which is our tagline. So it had kind of a mechanical feel to it or a industrial feel a little bit to it. I didn't think that we needed a name that was sort of conceptual. I mean, I guess it is, but everyone can relate to an engine and it frequently gets used in conversations and I'm always like, yeah, that's the right name. You know, the engine of the economy or whatever it might be.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Yeah. And it seems to have almost an industrial feel to it and thinking about the mills and the brick and sort of the drive that was needed to be able to power all of the looms. And I think that probably there is something to it that's a little bit grittier than perhaps other titles might be.

Tammy Ackerman:

Right. And we want to be a continuation of Biddeford's evolution, not disrupt it in a way that makes it into something different. And that's where you can either be successful or not in how you approach things. And what I mean by that, I guess, is that Biddeford and Sacco have always been manufacturing towns, and at the height of their glory, they were the leaders on the east coast. And what we're trying to do is just sort of reframe that conversation around the idea of making in a different way. And so the, you know, the fab lab, the fabrication lab, the 3D printing and the digital fabrication stuff is all meant to empower people to be able to make and not have to, you know, necessarily leave that to someone else. Especially kids. You know, we're trying to spark the creativity that then leads to innovation. And, you know, hopefully they'll go off and do something great, you know, in their lives, too, and not just think that they have to, you know, settle for something that maybe isn't what they aspire to.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

When I was speaking to Jane Bianco of the Farnsworth Museum, she mentioned this idea of creativity as being really anything that you are actually using your brain to kind of wrap itself around. So we think about something like a painting or something like sculpture as being a creative pursuit. But there are lots of other things that you do over the course of a life that can be considered creative.

Tammy Ackerman:

Yeah, I think that's the value of the arts in general, is that you see things in a different way and you start to experience other things and you talk to other people and it broadens your horizons and it helps you create a better network of people that might have differing perspectives. And I think that's always healthy. The visualization piece, the ability to sort of work out problems visually and have an understanding of spatial relationships, I think is all very valuable. And thinking like an artist, you know, artists are disruptors. They do things that don't always, you know, follow the mainstream. And being able to think like that creatively, whatever your field might be, if it's an accountant or, you know, someone working in food service, whatever it might be, if you can think like an artist and a designer, then it makes you more resourceful in your. Whatever your career path is.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

So how has thinking like an artist influenced your life?

Tammy Ackerman:

I think that what it's done for me is it makes me open to different ideas and relationships. I mean, we all have our biases, right? You know, I could probably list 10 of them that I have, and you try to work through those. But I think what it does is it. It sort of you look at all the options on the table versus, like, it's got to be that way, you know, because this is what it has been, or this is what I've been told. So thinking like a designer, thinking like an artist, you look at all the different options that are available to you, and then you have a conversation with the community or with your peers or whoever it might be that, you know, you're working with, and you work on those together. There's more of a collaborative nature in it, I think. You can't. I mean, artists can exist in a vacuum. They certainly can, and they can do their thing, but the artists that change the world are good at disrupting and collaborating.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

When we were speaking with Bill Seeley from Bates, and he does work with the philosophy of art, he was mentioning that. And of course, I think, you know, this to be true. I know this to be true anyway, but that people who are artists don't necessarily get recognition for their art until after maybe they've passed away or, you know, maybe they are much older. How can we reconcile that so that people aren't waiting for the next Monet to die? And then, you know, does this make sense? Like, how can we exist as art? How can we encourage people to exist and somehow create art and creating a sustainable livelihood for themselves?

Tammy Ackerman:

Right, that's. That. That is the question. How can we do that? I think it's a difficult thing. I think there's a lot of supply in the world. There's a lot of art in the world, and, you know, a lot of art from, you know, what you might say is good art to bad art to all kinds of art. There are artists, you know, like I mentioned Lauren earlier, who's definitely on a career trajectory that has been quite successful, and I would imagine she would continue on that. But those are kind of far and few, you know, artists that really kind of make it to that. That pinnacle. And so I guess I would try to reshift the focus from defining what success is to the individual. So I think if an artist is practicing and it gives them something, you know, if they get satisfaction or feel more whole because of it, then that's success in my book. If you want to sell your art, that's a different thing. And I, you know, it's a whole other world. And sometimes you have to change your art, you know, or look to what the market might be looking for. Tenacity is important. And so, you know, people get sort of demoralized by, you know, having a show and nothing sells and you know, they don't realize commercial success. But, you know, you have to kind of reframe that and think, well, you know, your work is great, you put on a good show, but hopefully that's fulfilling to you for that alone. And just because you don't sell anything doesn't mean that it's not worthwhile. Right? I mean, you can go into the creative fields, you can go into graphic design and more of the applied arts fields if you want to be commercially successful. But I think there's a lot of emphasis on selling work and I think it's very important. And I think artists can work to be more professional and present a more professional image. But I don't think that's the end all to being an artist.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

I would think that if you are thinking like an artist and you're attempting to think disruptively or even just thinking it, you know, not even attempting to think that way, just the way that you are looking at the world and then simultaneously you're also trying to be commercially successful and trying to shift the way that you work so that you're doing what other people find attractive. I think that would be a very interesting dichotomy to try to live.

Tammy Ackerman:

I think it's a hard one. And I would encourage people to err on the. Not err, but you know, focus on the latter or the, the former of just doing what they want to do. And you know, they have to redefine what success is. And if they want something different, then of course you're going to have to shift and, you know, do something different to support yourself if that's really, you know, what you want to do. But I don't advocate for that. I advocate for people doing what they want to do and being the best at that, that they can be. It's within their ability.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

What would you consider to be some of your biggest successes?

Tammy Ackerman:

I think the fact that we even we've made it five years in the community that we're in is a success and that we're growing. You know, there are always challenges. We're a non profit, you know, we have all the same challenges that every other nonprofit has in terms of funding and capacity and all that good stuff. But I think one of the greatest successes is that we've survived five years and that people really know who we are in a short time. You know, I've been a cheerleader and, you know, an advocate for Biddeford for the past nine years. And you start to hear it, you know, when people like you guys call and ask. Ask me to be interviewed and, you know, and I was on the stage with the director of the National Endowment for the Arts a couple years ago. And to even be considered to be in that role means that we're doing something right. You know, we're calling attention to a community that needs it. A community that has, excuse me, been sort of, you know, undervalued, I guess, for lack of a better word. And there's still a stigma attached to Biddeford. People are afraid to come downtown and it's just absolutely ridiculous. It really is. I mean, if you've spent any time there recently, you know, there's all this energy and, you know, different kinds of people walking around on the street. And I just think it's kind of, you know, overcoming that misconception about what Biddeford is, has been my mission for the past nine years.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

What would you consider to be your biggest challenges that. That are facing Engine over the next, say, five years?

Tammy Ackerman:

Well, I think given that our mission and our focus has been to help at least downtown Biddeford realize economic and community vitality, there's always the threat of a housing and real estate boom that will push some of the traditional businesses out of the way because, you know, they can't afford to be in that area. I mean, Portland's, you know, having the same conversations and more so even than we are, you know, and so if you look at communities that revitalize themselves either by having had artists in the community or being able to focus on that intentionally as part of revitalization, how do you keep that? You know, in the next five years, I feel like Biddeford's really going to. It's already happening. There's a bit of a real estate speculation going on for good reason. It is like the last community on the coast of southern Maine that hasn't really gone off, so to speak. And so I think the thread is affordability and not that Engine can necessarily do much about that. But we own a building and we hope to own other buildings at some point in the future and to make them affordable, you know, so that we can keep the artists and the designers and the creative economy in the community that helped build it.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

And, you're currently working through some renovations.

Tammy Ackerman:

We are dusty. We are currently we're moving out of our existing space, the one that we started up in, and we're moving into a second space that's not one that we own. It's about three times bigger and a little less expensive, and so it'll allow us to stretch out a little bit more. But it's directly across from the building that we were gifted back in 2011, I believe it was by the Rennie family. And that ties the story together. Right. So we own the former Renny's department store. It's an 18,000 square foot, somewhat dilapidated, historic building, but it's absolutely beautiful. It's got this white marble facade that is so unique to the area. And it's a long process. I mean, it's even, you know, at a nominal amount of money per square foot, it's a couple million dollars that we're looking at, you know, to do this project. But we're starting, you know, we're picking away at it. And our hope is to occupy that building in the next couple years, at least in some way, and potentially stay in the space across the street and do something slightly different in that space. So, you know, we're trying to occupy Lower Main Street.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

I like it. You're occupying the Lower Main Street, Biddeford, with art, right?

Tammy Ackerman:

Yeah, art and creativity and good design, hopefully, and energy, activating those spaces so that there are tons of different kinds of people, from kids to grandmothers and grandfathers coming in there and, you know, parts of the community that really need some aspirations and hope. We hope to just make it a big melting pot of creativity.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Tammy, how can people find out about Engine?

Tammy Ackerman:

Well, we are all over the web. We have a website, feedtheengin.org and we're on Facebook. We tweet every once in a while when I have the energy for it. And you can pretty much walk onto Main street and say, hey, where's Tammy? And someone. If you ask five people, someone will know where I'm at.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Well, I encourage people to spend some time in Biddeford, see what's going on down there. There's a lot. I know that that's definitely the case. We've been speaking with Tammy Ackerman, who is the co founder and executive director of Engine Incorporated, a community arts organization based in Biddeford. I really appreciate all the work you're doing from my. My family's hometown. It's great stuff, and I look forward to spending some time down there myself, seeing what's going on.

Tammy Ackerman:

Excellent. I'm a great tour guide.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Thanks Jamie.

Tammy Ackerman:

Thank you.

Tammy Ackerman:

Easy.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

I've been hearing the name Roxy Sugar probably for about three, four, five years now and it always happens that if I hear a person's name enough, they eventually come to be in my life and I get a chance to actually meet them. And this has happened with Roxy Sugar who is here with us today. Roxy Sugar is a designer based in Biddeford and her collection Angel Rocks is an eco friendly wardrobe crafted and created in the U.S. in fact, Biddeford Roxy was raised in Muscle Shoals, Alabama and attended the University of Alabama. She honed her skills directing design for collections ranging from high end designer Vivian Tamil to retailers such as Urban Outfitters and Le Chateau. The trademark of Angel Rocks is focused on balance and giving. Roxy directs her business and life with a dedication to making a difference. Thank you so much for coming in.

Roxi Suger:

Thank you so much for having me here Lisa. It's a pleasure.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

It's really interesting that you you've ended up in the very mills where my family used to create textiles, the Belials we came down from the Carrier family, came down from Canada and spent time creating textiles this is a few generations before me. And now you're doing the same sort of creating in a different way, and you're revitalizing an entire industry that I think many Mainers are familiar with.

Roxi Suger:

Well, I'm a small part of, I think of a broader revitalization that is happening and a very exciting time in our society in Maine, across America, as we're see these mill towns not be empty buildings anymore, but become thriving parts of the community. And we are so delighted to be there in Biddeford and to be a small part of that very exciting revitalization that is happening. And the magnificence of the history and of so many families having worked and strived and brought up their families in that very mill. I mean, we can feel that spirit every day as we're there working and trying to do our little part to bring it forward. It's quite a gift and a blessing.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Now, how did you make it all the way from Alabama to Biddeford? I'm sure nobody's ever asked you that question before, right?

Roxi Suger:

Oh, well, it's, as I like to say, has been a wonderful spiral. And basically my training in Alabama, I knew my path would take me to New York, which it did, and spent 18 lovely years there, which was very formative, very instructive, learned a lot and was able to launch Angel Rocks there, in addition to, as you mentioned, designing for many other lovely firms and also teaching at Parsons. And all of that was just a part of my evolution as not only a designer, but in giving back. I adore education. That interaction with the students was, you know, as gratifying as each interaction I have with my customers. And it's just an amazing thing to be here.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Now, are there a lot of designers that come out of the University of Alabama or from Alabama in general?

Roxi Suger:

Well, you know, I don't think it's lauded for its, you know, that specific field, but it was a great program that I went to in human environmental sciences, and I was very fortunate to secure the one scholarship they had specifically for fashion design right out of high school. And so to have that early dedication be rewarded in such a way was very gratifying. And I chose to go there so I would have sort of that broadcast university experience and still be close to family through that, that developmental time of college. And before I struck out on my own to New York and beyond. In New York, of course, returning back to your question of what has brought us to Maine, along with all the great things I got to do there, I also met my Love. And we started our family and as our son started to grow, we wanted to offer him much more freedom and a much more holistic life than we felt we could provide for him in New York. And so we had been coming up to Maine and we're very fortunate that my father in law had retired to Saco and so we were frequent visitors and put our sights on making our way here as soon as we could.

Tammy Ackerman:

So.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

And you brought your love with you today.

Roxi Suger:

I did, I did. Mr. Julian Schlaver.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Yes, Julian, your husband. He's sitting over to the side here. He seems like a pretty active part of your organization.

Roxi Suger:

Oh, very much a part. In fact, you know, I was able to get Angel Rock started and self financed and it was really me, some beautiful interns along the way and my little guy as an infant going with me to the office every day, Internet. Until I got the business to the point that Julian could leave his very nice job in the city to come on board full time. And that has been a huge, huge catalyst in our growth, in our ability to move here and to continue to grow and serve our customers and to give back to the community and all that we can. And it's been very exciting since we landed here. It was just Julian and I. His dad rolled up his sleeves, jumped right in to help as we landed, and now we find ourselves in this beautiful facility with our beautiful sweet little store up the street, Sugar, and a staff of 10 that are just amazing. I mean, Maine has fulfilled all of our thoughts and dreams and hopes of what it would be. Just full of the most dedicated, hard working, beautiful, responsive, giving people. And we are so happy now to call it home.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

How old is your little one now?

Roxi Suger:

He's seven now.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

So how does he feel about all of this? He kind of grew up with this, so he probably didn't know it any other way.

Roxi Suger:

He is such an advocate, he's such a supporter. He's already turned into quite the little marketer. He has definitely, you know, lived, breathed it. We used to joke that the first thing he was going to do out of the womb or when he started to talk was probably a rap demo. He is definitely very much a part of everything that has happened. But he is also the biggest reason that we have chosen to be here and that is to have family nearby to be focused on that, to have the time and the space, space to be with him and to spend just joyful moments with not only him, but expanded family that we've already joyfully created here since we've arrived you said that

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

you received a scholarship at the University of Alabama. So this must have meant coming out of high school, that you had a strong sense that this was the direction you wanted to go in. How young were you and how did you know that this is what you wanted to be doing?

Roxi Suger:

Well, naively, by the age of. I started probably drawing and being gravitating toward fashion by the age of seven, eight. And my grandmothers, one in particular taught me how to sew on the sewing machine. Actually, two of them. I had very inspirational grandmothers. And by the time I once I knew how to sew, then that was very much my path. I had a little deviation of thinking that I would love to be a ballerina, but I gave that up wisely and focused on fashion and have never looked back and have never wanted to do anything else. So it is very exciting to be doing exactly what I dreamed to do.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

So does it strike you that if you knew this when you were 7 or 8, then that's about the age that you, your son, is now, that whatever he's thinking right now could be what he does when he grows up?

Roxi Suger:

It is very, very amazing to think that, but it makes absolute sense to me. And given his. He is just absolutely fascinated with the ocean and the sea and all the creatures in it. And he is so smart and intuitive and engaged. And it would not surprise me a bit if he doesn't become some kind of marine biologist or very much involved with that. And I think that the kernels of our passions can emerge very early. But I think that anybody at any time can set a dream for themselves and go down the path to follow it. So I was very lucky in having that passion emerge so early and to be so tenacious or stubborn or whatever someone wants to call it, to stick to it long enough to see it through.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Well, that is a good point. I mean, I think that there's passion for the idea of it, but then actually following through, that's a lot of work.

Roxi Suger:

I think anything worthwhile in life and anything that we do is work. And every single day is an opportunity to do whatever you can towards your passions, towards your dreams, but also toward others and back to others. It's just some days are going to be easier on that path and some are not. You know, it's just. That's life. It is an up and a down and a back and a fourth. And, you know, just because I was tenacious doesn't mean that it has always been easy and that there have not been days when you Know, the thought of doing anything else wasn't just a little bit appealing, because that's just the natural course of things.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Well, tell me about one of those experiences. What was one of those hurdles that you actually had to get over in order to keep moving forward with your dream?

Roxi Suger:

Being in New York, you know, during the course of 9, 11. And that was right when I had started the business. And naively, I think you have to have some naive bravado in order to start a business in the first place. And so sometimes that. That is a good thing. But, you know, I had jumped in very deep, very quickly to having retail and everything else and had to very much retract back. And, you know, between the probably economic circumstances of that situation, as well as taking two aggressive steps, right away, as a small business, got to enjoy a very wonderful, humbling year of, you know, artists struggling and, you know, soul searching, of, can I stick with this? And so in those moments when, you know, I. My place of abode was, you know, an unheated artist loft in Dumbo, you know, I had moments when I just wished I was somebody's, you know, just tell me what to do. Give me my pile. Let me get through it today. But, you know, I did go out and do whatever it took to survive and to, as I like to say, claw my way out of that and rise back up again to doing everything I dreamed to do. But, you know, you definitely have those. Those moments when the pasture looks greener somewhere else, even though it probably is not.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

And I like how you describe it as a wonderful year, the wonderful year of being the struggling artist. And probably it was more than a year, I'm guessing, but yes.

Roxi Suger:

Yeah. Well, it took a few years to rise out, but within a year, I was back into a much better living circumstance and a proper, very nice studio apartment and a space in which to work and live and start to thrive.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

So why Angel Rocks?

Roxi Suger:

Angel Rocks evolved the symbol for the collection, which to me represents balance and trying to find that place of peace and bliss and representing the balance of essential dichotomies. So whether it's hard, soft, light, dark, the skies, the heavens, the earth below. And so all of that is somehow encapsulated in that symbol for me. And so Angel Rocks emerged from. Actually, a girlfriend of mine named angel and I, when we would hang out together or go out together, that was sort of a nickname or a silliness that emerged around us. And it seemed to fit the logo at the time. And so it has been a wonderful, for me, exploration And a necessary part of my journey because I was never necessarily into angels or tapped into that ideal. But what it has led me down the path of is seeing the inherent angel in all of us here and now. And that has been an incredible part of the journey, an incredible part of how our entire company sees the beautiful women that we work with, that we dress, that we have the joy and the pleasure to add anything to their life that equates to comfort and joy. It's an amazing thing. So Angel Rocks emerged as a match for that symbol and that logo and has been a wonderful, wonderful exploration of spirit for me.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Hearing that you might have wanted to once be a ballerina, it actually makes a little bit of sense because the clothes that you wear are very. They're very flowy, they're very soft, but also comfortable, practical. I've tried them on a few times. I'm sorry, I don't own any yet. But there is something very nourishing about them, something very soulful.

Roxi Suger:

Thank you. Thank you. It is a wonder to me and an absolute, just beyond comprehension that the love and the passion that I feel somehow can translate through these tiny bits of cloth. Certainly the spirit of dance, certainly the spirit of adventure, the spirit. Spirit of comforting and just being confident to traverse through your days doing whatever needs to be done, and at all times, the freedom to move and to express yourself in any way that you feel inspired to do.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

And giving back is very important to you. I know that I first learned of your collection when I was doing a fashion show with Ann Veronica, and I think it was to benefit Preble Street. So I believe that that was that connection. But you've also done your own work to benefit the community.

Roxi Suger:

Well, giving back is one of my core motivators for success. And from the very start, we named the corporation, or I named the corporation Be Peachy, as in be happy, be kind. And it's also an homage to one of those dear grandmothers whose name was Betty Peachey. And the idea in Spirit was that we would be able to get to the point that we could increasingly give back. And I have always, along the way, been involved with any kind of charitable event, you know, donating time, product, whatever we can to a vast array of amazing organizations. And since we've been here in Maine, it has been so wonderful to. To really focus those efforts most directly on our local community. And to be able to see the impact of that has been exceedingly rewarding. We are very much about trying to do for others in Quebec all we can. And so Part of that is a nice portion of our actual sales from sugar each month are donated to a local charity. And that has allowed us to support everything from, of course, food banks like Seeds of Hope to Mustang Rescue, trying to care for beautiful horses and animals, to Bicycle Race, the Women's coalition bicycle race that is coming up this week and celebrating women and their empowerment and their health. For me and for us, it's been hard to pick one charity or one cause to give back to because we feel so strongly that whether it's humanitarian, whether it's environmental, whether it is community oriented, that they're all worthy. And so we are very much enjoying this, giving back to all that we can from a little epicenter and then hopefully be able to grow that over time. And then we were so excited last year to organize the Biddeford Ball, which we planned this year again. And it was just such an incredible coming together of the community and incredible, incredible outreach and was able to raise wonderful, wonderful funds both for those in need as well as further development of Biddeford and its community and its revitalization.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

This idea of balance for you, how does it manifest itself in your business and in your life?

Roxi Suger:

The everyday seeking of it is always a wondrous, humbling thing. And you find it in little tiny snippets along the way. You know, finding. Taking that day where I go ahead and I leave the office a little bit early and pick up our son and spend some time with him or go on a walk with him. The times that we, you know, sneak out and sit down to lunch and have a moment together. You know, moments of just stopping and taking a great big deep breath and a great big stretch and just looking out the window and seeing the blue sky. Maybe not today, but that's okay. Seeing the beautiful raindrops that are feeding the plants. You know, just stopping to look at things and say, oh, my gosh, this is so beautiful. And I am so thankful I'm here. And I think that's the biggest way that I find my balance is by digging into my well of gratitude. And sometimes it is so humbling that, you know, it can almost bring you to your knees that this life is so beautiful and it is such a gift.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

How much of your, I guess, your life space is devoted to design versus creation, versus sort of more administrative, logistical tasks? I mean, are you able to continue to find the space you need to design and create?

Roxi Suger:

That is always a challenge. As you build a business, you increasingly find yourself engaged much more in the administrative, in the marketing for Us right now in the growth of Angel Rock, there's an exceeding amount of travel that's involved, and so I would love more time to do what I really. What my heart's passion is, which is create and design. But every single day and all of those activities inherently have creativity in them. Every interaction I have with an individual, whether it's a customer, whether it's a buyer for a store, whether it is our employees, there is passion and creative expression that you have to put into that of how, you know, just. You have to see the creativity that exists in every aspect that you do. I find the best times for me to be wholly creative are if I can snag, like, a late night at the office by myself or, you know, it's challenging, to say the least. But, you know, you just have to go through each day and find those little snippets when you can and see how much creative outlet there is all around you and not just limit it to one aspect of what you do.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

What inspires the designs for your clothing line?

Roxi Suger:

The women that I dress, increasingly, as my collection has evolved, it is about listening to them. What are they looking for? What do they need? What is the silhouette that is going to best flatter them, give them the fluidity to go from their wellness activities back to work, maybe out to dinner as they travel, to give them increased range to make it through any event that they want. And so I really do listen to the customer at this point. And as I evolve the collection, it's very much that I have heard customers say, oh, they would love to kind of see this, see that. And then, of course, I have to add, you know, the obsessive attention to the curve and the shape and where it's going to hit and what kind of needs it's going to fulfill to know if it's going to be a right thing to adopt into the collection as it grows.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

You have a store in Biddeford and you also have other locations that carry Angel Rocks.

Tammy Ackerman:

Yes.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Tell me some of those.

Roxi Suger:

Well, we are just, you know, completely thankful to be carried in over 200 boutiques across the country here in the state of Maine, we have many, many beautiful ones. And I don't want to risk leaving any of the gorgeous ones out. So I might like to say that the best thing to do is to visit angelrocks.com where we have a store locator so that individuals can see which is the closest store to their area, because we do have some beautiful ones. We have a gorgeous one here in Portland. I call out just one Jen Burrell, who's also a gorgeous jewelry designer. I'm wearing one of her rings right now, but just all up and down the coast. We are just honored, thankful and delighted that stores are doing very well with Angel Rocks and that the customers are loving the products. So very thankful for that.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

So if you're in Portland, you can go to that store. If you're in Biddeford, you can go to the Sugar store. And if you're not, you can go to the store Locator, which is on angel rocks dot com.

Roxi Suger:

Yes, that is correct.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Anything exciting coming up in your future?

Roxi Suger:

Oh, goodness, it seems like every day is exciting. I just got back this weekend from two beautiful trunk shows. One at Kripalu, which is a yoga training center in Western Mass, and then another beautiful event in Saratoga Springs. We are very excited to actually get to be here in Maine for two or three weeks consecutively, which will be amazing. Then, you know, we have just wonderful journeys that we're taking all throughout the summer and the year. And of course very excited for the Biddeford Ball, which is slated for October 3rd in Biddeford. And so we're all gearing up our momentum toward that and the celebration that will be for the community and all the good things there.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Those of you who are listening, I urge you to go to angelrocks.com or to one of the locations and to try on to experience the beautiful clothing that Roxy Sugar and her husband and their team of angels are all creating coming out of the Biddeford Mills. We've been speaking with Roxy Sugar, who is a designer based in Biddeford, working with her collection Angel Rocks. It's really been quite a pleasure to speak with you today.

Tammy Ackerman:

Thank you guys.

Roxi Suger:

You too, Lisa. Thank you so much.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

You have been listening to Love Maine radio show number 201, Milltown Creativity. Our guests have included Tammy Ackerman and Roxy Sugar. Follow me on Twitter as DrLisa and see my running travel, food and wellness photos as bountiful1 on Instagram. We love to hear from you, so please let us know what you think of Love Maine Radio. We welcome your suggestions for future shows. Also let our sponsors know that you have heard about them here. We are privileged that they enable us to bring Love Maine Radio to you. Each week. This is Dr. Lisa Belisle. I hope that you have enjoyed our Milltown Creativity show. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your day. May you have a bountiful life.

Tammy Ackerman:

Sa.