Brightening Union, One Bag at a Time

Published March 2026

Tell us a little bit about Lexi’s Tree Fort!

Lexi’s Tree Fort is a woman-owned small business run by designer and maker Lexi Havlin.

Inspired by vibrant colors, the great outdoors, and glittery cosmic elements, Lexi’s Tree Fort bags and accessories are one-of-a-kind creations that are highly durable, fun, and majestical all in one

What inspired you to start a business? How did this feeling grow once you actually started your business?

I started my business without realizing I was starting a business at first. 

I'm primarily a musician but am also heavily drawn to creative bright fashion, cycling culture, and outdoor activities. I taught myself to sew from pure inspiration of wanting to make a fun sparkly bag for myself, and starting out with learning how to make small simple pouches from instructional Youtube videos. 

It was so much fun that my motivation grew to learn more complex techniques and work with thicker fabric, which led to investing in an industrial sewing machine and experimenting with different outdoor fabrics by trial and error. 

Eventually I was making so many little pouches that I had to do something with them and decided to start selling them at pop-up craft markets. One thing led to another—I opened an Etsy shop and started offering a few select bags for customization, which grew to what it is today: offering custom bike bags, fanny packs, chalk bags, backpacks and more worldwide, as well as selling wholesale to shops such as REI, Craftland (Providence, RI), The Merchant Company (Portland, ME), Cambridge Bicycle and more. 

I'm still in the learning phase of what goes into running a small business as a one-person operation and am very excited as I brainstorm  new ideas for my brand, including new collections, collaborations, and experiments with jewelry and clothing design.

What aspect of your business makes you most proud to be a business leader in our community?

I love being able to offer a unique experience to local customers of visiting my maker space and allowing them to pick out their favorite fabric colors and textures in-person. I believe it's valuable for customers to catch a glimpse of the process of how items are made in the more sustainable slow-fashion world in contrast to the ever-growing fast fashion land of consumerism that a lot of larger companies operate in. 

I also love supporting other local artists and makers by helping organize low-cost vendor markets in my building (438R Somerville Ave) which feature creative talent in the community, as well as collaborating with my artist friends such as my studio mate Georgia Kennedy who runs Gigi's General, a post-consumer fiber art brand.

How do you #LoveUnionSquare?

I love so many things about Union Square! I am lucky to be able to live right in the neighborhood and can walk to my studio and to the post office to send out the majority of my online orders. 

During my free time I love spending time at Bloc Cafe, getting tea and vegan cookies from Remnant Brewery during the day, stopping at Union Sq Donuts for a vegan donut, and hanging out at Aeronaut for live music and food. I also love being in close proximity to the climbing gym and to Somerville Bike Kitchen, an amazing volunteer-led community of cyclists. 

I am very grateful to be part of the community of 438R Somerville Ave, where I have my studio in the basement in New Alliance Gallery—a creative coalition of artists and musicians where we host art openings and workshops year-round. I especially love New Alliance Audio recording studio, which inspires me to keep my music career alive by meeting amazing musicians, recording guitar for sessions, and working on new musical ideas during my breaks from sewing. It's also fun to check out art events upstairs at Stodge Gallery and to see a live show in my favorite DIY venue, The Loft, on the second floor.

If you were to plan the perfect outing in Union Square, where would you go and what would you do?

I would get some tasty vegan bites at Saus in Bow Market, then head over to backbar for a cocktail, then check out some live music at The Jungle, Sally O'Brien’s, or The Loft.

Do you have any “behind the scenes” info that a customer might not know?

Fun fact #1: I have a secret unlabeled doorbell next to a dumpster outside of my building - ring it at your own risk ;) 
I am here in my studio almost 7 days a week, sometimes until very late at night working away on my orders, taking breaks in my indoor hammock set up, or working on fun photoshoots for my bags. 

Fun fact #2: I occasionally work on the ground crew of local arborist company Eddie's Tree Service where I'm being trained as a tree climber and get many inspiring bags ideas for fun professional tree gear (of which a new collection is in the works).

Fun fact #3: I occasionally get to travel to perform as a guitarist at festivals on the west coast as a solo artist, playing with Boston-based band Zili Misik, or other bands located around the country. This is another part of my life which has inspired me to work on an upcoming collection of bags specifically geared towards musicians—details coming soon. 

Fun fact #4: The best way to contact me is on Etsy (but you can also email me or send me a DM on Instagram)

Is there anything else you think a Square customer would like to know?

I am collaborating with other artists in New Alliance Gallery to host a Spring Equinox Market on March 22, 2026. It will feature a handful of local vendors as well as new collections by myself, Gigi's General and Mason Eve Art.

Lexi’s Tree Fort is located at 438R Somerville Ave and is open by appointment only. Keep up-to-date on Lexi’s work and upcoming vendor markets by following her on Instagram or subscribing to her newsletter.