Maine Float Rope Company’s Durable, Eco-friendly & Colorful Doormats

Who: Maine Float-Rope Company – Waldoboro, ME

What: Down East Doormats

Where: Maine Float-Rope Company – Large $79.95 & Medium $49.95 (see more purchasing information below!!)

Why We Love ‘Em: Penny Johnston is one of our new heroes (and as a fellow Mainer, we couldn’t be more proud!) When she saw neglected barns left for ruin, she salvaged the boards and turned them into spectacular tables. When she saw a need for stone, instead of mining for granite she worked with local Mainers to reclaim stones from abandoned fields and quarries. So it was no wonder that when she learned that Maine lobstermen were being forced to replace their float ropes with more expensive silk ropes she found a practical, economical and environmentally friendly solution.  That just ‘Mainers being Mainers’…..

The Down East Doormats are made of perfectly good float rope that would otherwise end up in a landfill. The purchase of the helps offset the cost to lobstermen who of investing in new silk ropes which are less harmful to Northern Right Whales. Designed to withstand the cold saltwater seas of the Atlantic, the colorful float ropes make incredibly durable, functional and low maintenance doormats. The mats are quick drying and resistant to mold, mildew, salt water and they effectively trap dirt, mud, snow and sand making them perfect for indoor or outdoor use.

Looking forward to replacing our tattered outdoor mat with one of these hardy and colorful mats. Will be nice to have a reminder of home on our doorsteps, and even nicer to know that a percentage of our purchase will be donated directly to organizations and projects that help protect the Northern Right Whale, support Maine lobstermen and implement environmentally sound practices in the Gulf of Maine.

AMENDMENT, March 25, 2010: An Urban Sherp reader recently shed some light on the ‘rest of the story’ behind Maine Float Ropes. Owner, Penny Johnston has been facing some financial difficulties and has not been able to live up to many of the promises she has made (The Gulf of Maine Lobster Foundation has recieved only $100 in donations even though it is featured prominently in advertising materials.)  To read more about this controversy, read Float Rope Company in Flux by Samuel Baldwin for the Lincoln County Tribune.

Custom Cordage in Waldoboro, Maine was the original manufacturer of these mats, and they are still making them the same way. You can purchase their mats at:

thenewenglandtradingcompany.com – on sale for $39.95 & $69.95

uncommongoods.com – $40, 2 colors available

greendepot.com - only single colors available, $34.95