CAMDEN—Maine Seaside Treasures, a Rockland-based shop, moved into its second location on 14 Main Street in Camden and opened its doors on Friday, March 27.

Owner Connie Sawyer also runs the sea-themed Seagull Cottage in Rockland, and the new store is similar in decor.

Her husband told her about a space in Camden that was for rent even though she wasn’t looking to open a new store.

“The pandemic has brought pros and cons to everyone in their lives and I was just very fortunate that this could happen for us,” she said. “It’s a strange time to be opening a business, but maybe it’s the perfect time; it felt meant to be.”

Sawyer said she’s excited to be a part of downtown Camden and to meet the community.

“We had a good summer over at The Seagull Cottage—not a great summer—but it slowly picked up,” she said. “We were saved by the locals from the end of summer through December; they supported us tremendously.”

With Store Manager Carissa Christie helming Maine Seaside Treasures, Sawyer will still run the Seagull Cottage in Rockland location.

The place was vacated by Sherman’s Books and Stationery, which closed a year ago as a casualty of the COVID-19 industry shutdown, as previously covered in a PenBay Pilot story.

With exposed brick and high ceilings, the 1,200 square-foot store has a lot of beach-themed home accessories, such as mermaid sculptures, starfish, and urchin shells, along with other Maine-themed gifts and decor.

“In the Camden store, I’ll be carrying some different items, so we won’t be competing with other local stores,” she said. “But, it’s still all themed around the coast. I just love the sea and so many of the items here reflect that. I’ll also be adding more items handmade locally by artists.”

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, only 10 people will be allowed in the store at one time.

Updates for a grand opening and store hours can be found on their Facebook page.

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com