CAMDEN—Signs that Camden has renewed its vigor over the winter are showing up in new businesses and restaurant openings. It’s always interesting to see what’s open, what’s closed, what’s new, and what’s happening. Here is your Camden area rundown for the summer. 

Restaurants

The biggest news this season is the rebuild of the Lyman-Morse complex of boatyard buildings after a devastating fire. Lyman-Morse anticipates opening its new two-story restaurant – Salt Wharf by June, as covered in a recent PenBay Pilot story by Lynda Clancy. Adjacent to this restaurant will be Blue Barren Distillery’s new waterfront distillery and restaurant when it opens this spring. Co-owners Andrew Stewart and Jeremy Howard are excited to open the tasting room and store as well as the restaurant, which will feature an indoor dining area and bar as well as extended outdoor seating for the summer. Look for this story in our spring/summer issue of The Wave.

Business Moves

Laugh Loud Smile Big, a gourmet cupcake shop has moved into 38 Main Street (at the corner of Main Street and Tannery Lane) with a planned spring opening. Owner Vicki Murray has worked on installing a full kitchen and has big plans for the store’s bay windows. “It’s a whole new ballgame,” she said in a recent PenBay Pilot story.

Symmetree Base Camp, a new outdoor clothing store, opened at 20 Bay View Street in November. Cynthia Trone, the owner of the environmentally-conscious store, has modeled it after her son’s Oregon-based Symmetree store.  Trone has put her own signature on the Camden-based store with one corner of the store dedicated to meditation books and pillows and the back of the store converted to a meditation studio, which Trone will be co-facilitating, and opening to the public. See more of this PenBay Pilot story.

Liberty Graphics, a t-shirt printer whose designs center around the natural world and rural themes, has expanded to a new Camden location. Designing and printing since the 1970s, Liberty Graphics recently moved into the storefront at 13 Mechanic Street and plans to open in the spring.

Rockport News

Rockport Harbor Hotel, a new hotel being built in Rockport, has continued construction despite the ongoing court actions brought by Rockport residents against the hotel plans and construction. With a three-month construction pause, the Rockport Code Enforcement Officer issued a permit on April 1 to 20 Central Street LLC, the company that is in the process of building a 20-room hotel in Rockport Village. See more of this PenBay Pilot story and 10 related stories.

The Rockport Planning Board is considering a proposal to turn a side entrance of lower Union Hall in Rockport Village into Freya’s Ice Cream shop. If that is approved, a 790 square-foot space that now exists within Union Hall, which is under the ownership of 24 Central Street LLC, will be leased for the food-service business. See that story here.

Devi Maine, a new Nail Spa/Art Studio/Crystal Shop recently opened in Rockport at 823 Commercial Street.

Quinn Bunting, the 23-year-old owner of Painted Monarch, a relaxed atmosphere hair salon, opened her salon in the fall of 2021. Specializing in lived-in color, balayage, and blondes with an emphasis on healthy hair, read more of Quinn’s story on PenBay Pilot.

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com