Shop Local

Shop Local: Needless Society

At the Fashion Cookbook, we strive to empower local artisans and promote more sustainable consumer choices. One of the things we often come across as image consultants is that many people own repeats of clothing items and accessories. So, not only are people spending more money in the long run, but they are also contributing to unnecessary waste for this planet. Instead, we recommend investing in high-quality products that will last you a long time.

Recently while scrolling through Instagram we stumbled across an incredible brand called “Needless Society” that’s based here right out of Lewiston, Maine. Immediately we were drawn to their high-quality leather goods and design, but also their friendly and cool demeanor across social media. How awesome is that we found another Maine-based brand that was hiding right under our nose this entire time?

I had the amazing opportunity of meeting the owners of Needless Society, husband and wife duo Phoebe and Rance Pope over coffee at local gem Forage Market the other weekend, where we discussed their brand more in depth and I got to know more about the people I’m directly supporting by choosing to shop locally. They graciously allowed me to check out their super secret workshop where the magic happens and allowed me to snap some photos to share with you, my readers. I hope you not only take some time to read the interview they did with me but also please go check out their website! Phoebe and Rance both exude kindness and have such big hearts. As someone who grew up in Lewiston/Auburn it makes me so happy to know that they want to build their business in this little city of ours. They truly want to see the community thrive and pay homage to the rich history of great American manufacturing. I implore you to think about supporting local next time you need a new wallet or purse- plus you will be giving back to our community. A win-win in our book.Tell us a little about yourself! We have been together since December 2013. We were married in May 2016. Needless was started in September 2015. We live in Lewiston, ME and love Mexican food.

What inspired you to start your brand? Crafting and creating together. And we started having trouble finding well-made items in stores, so we decided to make our own. What do you hope people take away from their experience at shopping from your brand? A quality made good that will last forever.

Where do you see yourself in five years? We hope to have higher production with employees and eventually a retail location in Lewiston.

What are your favorite products you sell? Phoebe loves the Simple Slim wallets and Rance carries the Wander Wallet. Neither of us like to carry many cards or cash at once. Less is more!

How are you involved in the community? We always try to support other local businesses in Lewiston! Forage Market is our favorite cafe and we frequent the Italian Bakery. We also love getting custom orders from locals like the apron we made for the bar manager, Thomas, at Marchè.

What advice do you have for others hoping to start a business/brand from scratch? Well, it’s really hard work and can be frustrating at times but believing is achieving!

What is it like owning a business as a couple? We get this question a lot, people ask us all the time if we fight. We don’t! We have very similar tastes and agree with most decisions. Maybe not all couples would want to spend as much time together as we do, but we aren’t complaining yet.

Are there things that you each bring to the process. If so, what is that? Rance has a background in leather and sales and Phoebe has a BFA in photography. We design and build our products together but Rance really brings the technical aspects. Phoebe manages our website and social media, but Rance takes some of the photos we use too. It’s really a great balance!