RED PINE SUPPLY: Inspired by the Northwoods and Sustainability
Chippewa Falls native’s side business grows in its cozy corner of the internet and Eau Claire
There’s something about a worn-in, durable pair of jeans and the feel of a flannel that folks from all different walks of career and day-to-day life enjoy, which is exactly what Maddie Seelhammer fell in love with while growing up in the Chippewa Valley – and just some of what she offers through her shop, Red Pine Supply.
Growing up in Chippewa Falls, her parents were farmers so she embraced an upbringing surrounded by day-in and day-out hard work, horseback riding, and cultivating a love for the Northwoods. Her grandmother, an amazing quilter and sewer, is whom Maddie credits for her own love of fixing up and reworking clothing, still using the sewing machine she inherited.
It comes as no surprise that later in life Maddie would begin adding her own personal touches to clothing items, many of which are available for purchase through Red Pine Supply. But Red Pine only came to fruition within the past couple of years, thanks to a similar side business Maddie ran with a childhood friend through college selling clothes through Instagram.
After graduating, Maddie’s friend moved to Colorado and the long-distance efforts of running the Instagram page and business together proved difficult, so the duo decided to create their own separate pages to continue selling their clothing finds. Maddie’s husband, Reid, runs Red Pine alongside her now, bringing a new breadth of style to Red Pine’s collection.
“Red Pine was born out of that love for thrifting, garage sale-ing, and wanting to have an outlet to share fun finds and provide custom pieces as well,” Maddie explained. “That’s one of my favorite parts about what we do: I love adding little details or embroidering pieces to give them new life.”
Drawing inspiration from her grandparents and upbringing, Red Pine’s website design and logo – created by Maddie’s sister-in-law, a graphic designer – sees cowboy-style hats and handkerchiefs in muted green, yellow, orange, and blue, a swoop to Red Pine’s font choice.
“A lot of our inspiration is this cozy, nostalgic, Northwoods kind of vibe,” Maddie said. “The words that come to mind are, ‘Northwoods with a touch of Western.’ I’m inspired by my upbringing, so I like that more rugged, wearable workwear style.”
Red Pine Supply offers monthly pop-up shopping events – though Wisconsin winters make those fewer once the snow falls – but its online presence and website are where most of its customers flock. With a following of about 4,500 people on Instagram, Red Pine Supply has shipped items all over the country and to Canada.
While Maddie and Reid continue to work full-time at UW-Eau Claire, Red Pine continues to be a passion project that they don’t see ending anytime soon. In fact, the duo has just begun branding their own pieces, a step toward creating entirely homemade items.
While Maddie’s personal style is very much at the core of Red Pine’s collection, she ultimately aims to offer items that she hopes are inviting and comforting to shoppers. “Style is a way to express yourself, and for me, that’s why I gravitate so much towards nostalgic-feeling things because I want to be comfortable and I want to invoke that cozy comfort for others.”
The rise in popularity of thrifting and shopping at vintage stores is widespread and can often be contentious, Maddie finds the relationship between her college studies and Red Pine a key point.
After studying public health in school, Maddie said she sees the relationship between fast fashion, sustainability, and the environment, and aims to curate clothing that is affordable, good quality, and does not contribute to more waste.
“It can be easy to just want to consume, but I hope to provide options that check the boxes of, items that are in style but will last years and are still affordable.”
Find your next cozy item at Red Pine Supply, a locally-run clothing store, both on its website or at its next pop-up event. Keep up with Red Pine Supply on Instagram.
