CAMDEN-ROCKPORT — We did this series last year, listing all of the new businesses and changes that occurred over the winter in Camden-Lincolnville-Rockport and people seemed to love it. it’s always interesting to see what's open, what's closed, what's new and what's happening. So, here is your rundown for the summer. 

Andy’s Brew Pub in Lincolnville opens

Craft brew lovers in the Midcoast have been eagerly anticipating the opening of Andy’s Brew Pub since earlier this winter, when brewers Ben Hazen and his father, Andrew Hazen, announced their intent to open a physical location for their Lincolnville brewing business, combining it with the Lobster Pound, owned by Dick McLaughlin.

Over the winter the Hazens, McLaughlin and their other investors, Sean Duffelmeyer and Jim Tyler, worked steadily to remodel the left side of The Lobster Pound into an airy 75-seat brew pub with ocean views from every seat. Jim Tyler constructed the 25-foot polished pine bar and backing for the beer taps. On May 1 and 2, Andy’s Brew Pub had its soft opening, which Penobscot Bay Pilot was only too happy to cover in our story, Community fills Lincolnville Beach bar at Andy’s soft opening. Once they receive the federal and state brewing licenses, their brewing equipment will be set up in a special brewing area. As they gear up to remodel the gift shop (which soon will include bottled Andrew’s Brewing Co beer) look for their grand opening happening soon and be sure to stop in.

Owl & Turtle Bookshop has new owners and a new café

Ricky and Selena Sheaves, the new owners who took over Nancy Borland’s Owl & Turtle Bookshop (now on Bay View Street) took a few months to decide what they were going to do with the bookshop after moving here from Cambridge, Massachusetts. Keeping the traditional sections of the bookshop such as the marine and Maine sections intact, they decided to remodel the children’s area upstairs and add a comfortable café with free WiFi and seating for 12 customers.

Over the winter, Ricky has done most of the interior work himself and the café had its soft opening in late April. There aren’t too many places in Camden that require a real barista, but Owl & Turtle Café now has a beautiful commercial coffeemaker, which offers various types of coffees, lattes and espressos. All the coffee beans and teas are locally produced as well as the baked goods. Still to come, they're clearing out a space for a "Laptop Ledge" upstairs, which will essentially be a WiFi bar with 8-10 stools, providing each seating area with connectivity to the individual's laptop.

Peter Ott’s Restaurant moves to the Camden Harbor

In February, owner-chef Peter Masin-Peters announced the restaurant, which had stood at 16 Bayview Street for 40 years would close on March 29, and reopen in mid-April at its new waterfront location on Bay View Landing, now named Peter Ott’s on the water. The transformation of the restaurant’s interior has been incredible. Gone are the ubiquitous varnished look of the floors and walls and 1970s-throwback stained glass windows. New lighting, tables, decorations and built-in benches are now in its place.

As writer Chris Wolf said in his story, Peter Ott’s reopens on the Camden waterfront, “The rustic and finished floors might stir memories of an 1800s farm in parts of the restaurant with lots of natural light, but if you sit in front of the fireplace in the main dining area, you're transported into rich surroundings as you sink into a comfortable seat with plush pillows.” One change that has generated some chatter is that Peter Ott’s no longer offers its famed salad bar, but, the food, as always, is local and fresh. Reaction to the new restaurant location and menu has been overwhelmingly positive and it’s sure to be a hit with the locals year-round as well as the tourists. For now the restaurant is only open in the evenings and for brunch, but soon, they will be opening for lunch as well.

Fox on the Run, new food truck hits Rockport Harbor

Just recently Penobscot Bay Pilot encountered this bright fire engine red food truck and got a better look inside after talking to Lauren Jellison, the new owner. Calling it Fox on the Run (based after one of her favorite songs), Jellison, assisted by her partner, Kevin Allen, plans to offer healthy, fresh well-crafted food for affordable prices. In our story, New Midcoast food truck hits the street this spring, we get more into Jellison’s culinary background and Fox on the Run’s Asian and Hispanic menu with unique offerings like sugar free snow cones and bahn mi sandwiches. The current schedule has the food truck up in downtown Belfast harbor throughout May, offering breakfast and lunches in Belfast, before they move to the Rockport Harbor for the summer. Their latest Facebook announcement said their hours have changed from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. to accommodate the after-work crowd.

Lincolnville Community Library opens

It took a year and a half after nearly 200 people gathered in Lincolnville Center to grab a long rope and help pull the town’s former one-room schoolhouse across Main Street in order to start work on making it the new town library and in February, the job was finally done. As we covered in our story, Lincolnville Community Library opens February 1, it took a large team of skilled volunteers and professional contractors to renovate the building and turn it into the new Lincolnville Community Library. Since then, they’ve been thriving with all kinds of programming, ranging from talks from artists and authors to presentations on local history, feng shui, coin-making, gardening, sailing trips and more. The library operates part-time from Tuesday to Saturday, but they’ve fulfilled a great need in the community. Said one patron, “Kudos to all of you for finally getting a library for the town.” For more information and to keep up with the library’s daily progress, visit their Facebook page.

Schooner news 

Hard times befell two local schooners this winter and spring.  In December, the Nathaniel Bowditch was seized by U.S. Marshals following the filing of a civil foreclosure lawsuit in Portland U.S. District Court against owners Owen and Cathie Dorr of Rockland. In February, a public auction was held to sell the schooner, but since nobody made a minimum bid, ownership of the boat remains with the holder of the mortgage, attorney Thomas Federle.

The fate of the Timberwind is still unsure after the bank placed a lien on the schooner, a longtime fixture at Rockport’s Marine Park wharf. It was towed out of Rockport Harbor and tied up in Lermond Cove in Rockland while the legal paperwork to seize the boat works its way through court.

On an up note, Capt. Jack Moore and his first mate, wife Barbara sold their schooner, Surprise in May passing the daysailing business onto another couple, Ramiro and Nicole de Acevedo Ramos of Camden.

Other stuff you might have missed

It was a long, hard winter for many and we noticed one restaurant, 57 Bay View Restaurant, is now up for sale.

Stone Coast CrossFit marked its two-year anniversary with the opening of a new wellness facility across from Hoboken Gardens in Rockport, opening in April, boasting 4,200 square feet of open space, 840 square feet of indoor turf, showers and a first class coaching staff.

If we've missed any new businesses that would be interesting to folks coming back to Maine, shoot us an email with the subject line "Add to Camden story" and we'll add it into the list!

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com