Maine Cottage Re-opens Storefront In Annapolis

ANNAPOLIS, MD – For 2.5 years, Annapolis area residents loved popping into Maine Cottage on West Street to peruse the eclectic and highly sought-after pieces of colorful, coastal style American furniture designed locally and sold at the store. But eventually, designer Lauren Russell decided that being the creative mastermind behind the business while running a brick-and-mortar location and executing a highly successful direct mail catalog platform was too much, so they closed the store.

“It was a really tough decision, particularly because we loved being part of the Annapolis community so much. We never went away though; we just regrouped at our offices and distribution center on Defense Highway. We always felt like we would be back when the time was right. And, that time is now,” Russell told Patch.

Maine Cottage solidly established itself as a direct-to-consumer business distributing almost one million catalogs per year that feature its painted, upholstered and wicker furniture. The business is best known for its colorful painted collection of more than 100 pieces of solid wood furniture all built in America and boldly featuring one of 35 signature colors.

“Year after year our top sellers are our most distinctive pieces: Della Dining Table, Fiddlehead Cocktail Table, and Meriweather Bed. That said, this season is really exciting, because we are introducing an outdoor capsule collection of furniture. We have partnered with InsideOut® fabrics to bring the vibrant colors Maine Cottage is known for to performance fabrics to our customers,” Russell said.

But not having a local retail presence and directly mingling with area residents prompted Russell to reconsider having a physical location in Annapolis once again. She recently took the plunge, opening the doors to local customers.

“Customers will notice our new space is somewhat different from our last location—it’s more of a workspace where our interior designers can collaborate with our customers. For that reason, we are calling it our Design Center. It’s a more intimate showroom with an island worktop and interactive tools where clients can review space plans and pour over color and fabric samples. While we accommodate walk-ins, we strongly encourage setting up an appointment with one of our interior designers,” Russell said.

Russell launched her career as an art director at a local advertising agency before co-founding Russell & Mackenna, a Severna Park furniture Company. She designed both the furniture collection and textile line until 2011 when they acquired Maine Cottage. She became the creative director and sold her interest in the company in 2018 to Balsam Brands. Russell said it’s exhilarating to be back in Annapolis with a retail site.

“It feels terrific,” she said. “Maine Cottage has a strong customer base in Annapolis—we are energized and eager to play a larger role in this wonderful community we love so much. Nothing beats engaging with customers face-to-face.”