Meet Mackenzie and Blaine of The Local Branch, an artisan screen printing, leather goods and home goods studio. They are high school sweethearts who share a passion to live a free and creative lifestyle. Leaving New York for the West Coast, Mackenzie and Blaine fueled their fire to create by learning screen printing and leather working while working their day jobs. With the high cost of living on the West Coast, the couple had dreams of limiting their expenses, simplifying their life and running a mobile retail store to sell their homemade products.
After researching all the brands of trailers available, Mackenzie and Blaine settled on an Airstream because of the iconic, vintage vibe and how well it fit their personal aesthetic. The couple’s trailer is a 1979 Airstream Sovereign. Once purchased, the trailer needed significant tender loving care. With missing walls and green mystery slime dripping down the insides, they began gutting, cleaning and planning their future home and mobile studio.
Taking the vintage Airstream to a completely blank slate, Mackenzie and Blaine were able to customize and make the trailer feel like home. Features like a full size bed, a space for greenery and creative storage options for materials tailored the Airstream to fit their needs. They have been careful to fill their home with décor that is not only functional and fits their style, but also has meaning and significance to their travels. Equipped with their unique Airstream, they began to travel and setup pop-up stores along their stops. Airstream allows them to create and make a living doing what they love on the road.
A mobile shop has helped them to stay focused on their craft and hone their skills working in a smaller space. Full-time travel offers no shortage of inspiration. Exploring the Four Corners Region and Monument Valley, hiking the Grand Canyon rim-to-rim, spending time with Navajo people and discovering the Grand Tetons are just a few travel highlights. Drawing from different cultures and locations across America, Mackenzie and Blaine are able to create things that capture the true spirit of Americana that their brand is built on.
Starting simply as artisan moonlighters with a dream to make, Mackenzie and Blaine have been able to use Airstream to see the country, grow a brand and most importantly, make a life. Their lifestyle brand, The Local Branch keeps growing. With the success of the brand, more space was needed and the couple has recently opened up a shop in New York. In addition to the two of them still playing roles as makers, The Local Branch now has two other employees at the location in New York. There is no limit to what the Airstream life can create. Mackenzie and Blaine’s advice for anyone thinking about the Airstream lifestyle? “It’s a great way to spend at least a year of your life getting to travel. You can have all the creature comforts you want. You can do it”
Find The Local Branch online at…
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