Roped in: First Harbor Company’s handcrafted wreaths are tied to tradition

Heritage is important to Marblehead resident Tom Peach. A descendent of one of Marblehead’s founding families, Peach takes great pride in the town he calls home—and that pride is evident in his New England rope wreaths. “They’re a direct connection to our seashore heritage,” says Peach, owner of First Harbor Company.

Peach, who runs the business with his wife, Samantha, hand-weaves each wreath, using tan and white lobster rope sourced from Maine. For Peach, who comes from a long line of fishermen and artisans, creating traditional nautical knotwork seemed only natural. He grew up surrounded by craftsmen—his father restored antique boats, and his neighbor made jewelry out of scrimshaw. Peach credits that neighbor for sparking his interest as a child in decorative knotwork, designing key chains and bracelets.

“As I got older, I continued doing decorative sailor knotwork just for fun,” he says. Peach went on to work for his family’s construction company, which remains his full-time job today, but he says he always had a “fire” to do more than construction. “By chance, about seven or eight years ago,” he recalls, “I was with my cousin and her son. He wanted to go to the beach and collect seashells, and there was a big ball of rope there that had washed up. We untangled it, brought it home and made the first wreath out of it, just for fun.”

Members of his family and people in town began requesting wreaths, and a business was born. Peach named the company “First Harbor” after the small cove near his neighborhood in Marblehead, and on the company’s website, firstharborcompany.com, there is a 24/7 live feed of First Harbor. “It’s a fun way to show people where our inspiration is,” he says.

Peach takes great pride in using only American-made materials to create his wreaths, which measure 17 inches in diameter. In addition to sourcing rope from Maine, he also sources the wreaths’ metal wire frames from Maine, and uses bows and accent ribbons—colors include red, hunter green and navy blue—sourced from Pennsylvania. If a more custom wreath is desired, Peach says people can send him any materials they want incorporated.

“The sky’s the limit,” Peach says of his wreaths. And the same can be said for his company—Peach also makes dog leashes, and he says he hopes to expand the business into a collection of home décor items and even clothing.

First Harbor Company • 781-576-9762 • shop.capecodlife.com