Shop Local: Holidays Gift Guide

For the holidays, we’re shining the spotlight on Maine craftspeople. Shop locally and support innovators and entrepreneurs who keep the creative economy alive in this state. Each week, until the end of December, we will bring you this series until you can’t take it anymore. Ready. Set. Go.

Reclaimed Maine Buoys

Portland, Maine

For the holidays, we’re shining the spotlight on Maine craftspeople. Shop locally and support innovators and entrepreneurs who keep the creative economy alive in this state. Each week, until the end of December, we will bring you this series until you can’t take it anymore. Ready. Set. Go.

Beach Star Ornaments

Appleton, Maine

ROCKPORT—Farmer Mary Nelson née Clayton and her husband, Tom, recently bought the nearly 40-year-old Cardinal Cove Mini Golf Center and an adjacent house with big plans for its future.

The first floor of the house, on Commercial Street in Rockport, which used to be an arcade, has turned into a small retail space for Nelson’s natural-made products called Bee Wild Farmacy. She just held her grand opening Sunday, November 21.

Having grown up in Rockland, Nelson moved to…

ROCKPORT—Sometimes you just want to say things you can’t out loud. Liz Polkinghorn, a knitter, understands that need, and designs the type of hat that ”allows you to put all the things you'd like to say out loud, but sometimes just can’t, onto your hat instead.”

Her hand-knitted hats have become a home business called Bespolk Hats. It can sometimes take a whole day to custom create with 100 percent wool and pom poms of real fur, faux fur or cotton. And her biggest seller is a word…

CAMDEN—The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. In this case, the tree is Cynthia Trone, a long-time resident of Camden and the apple is her son, Jackson Berger, whose Oregon-based outdoor clothing store, Symmetree, has now branched out to become Trone’s retail shop on Bay View Street that goes by the name Symmetree Base Camp.

Trone, who used to manage the former location of The Grasshopper Shop when it was on Bay View Street in the 1980s, has come full circle, back to her retail…

LIBERTY—The quiet little inland town of Liberty certainly has it going on these days. Good Natured, a home goods and artisan shop with nature-inspired crafts and decor held its Grand Opening on July 31.

Owner Kate Meadows, a maker and artist herself, had been wanting to open her own shop for two years after moving to Liberty with her husband from Pennsylvania.

The shop is a rustic combination of repurposed vintage items and nature-made art. Inside, one can find old bottles,…

NORTHPORT—A new small press has launched in Maine called Toad Hall Editions and its purpose is to give a platform to writers who don’t get noticed in the more traditional publishing arenas.

Founded by Amy Tingle, Liz Kalloch and Maya Stein, the trio all have skills in the publishing and design industries. The idea for the small press came out of years of collaboration on their own various projects. Their collective work on Stein’s latest book, The Poser: 38 Portraits Reimagined by…

ROCKLAND — A spate of new businesses are opening up all around the Midcoast this spring, following a tumultuous year for shops and stores struggling during the pandemic. One of the newest is a curated vintage shop owned by David Robichaud called Ollie and David’s—with Ollie as a tribute to his dog, an English Springer Spaniel.

It is located on the first floor of the Thorndike building at 385 Main Street, once the great Thorndike Hotel. This overlooked building is often thought to host…

TENANTS HARBOR—Logan and Hannah Rackliff, co-owners of The Rope Co., have fostered a unique home decor business around an unlikely source—float rope, used by lobstermen to attach to lobster traps to the buoy and from trap to trap.

Logan, a fifth generation lobsterman, comes by the profession naturally, both as a working lobsterman and as the descendant of entrepreneurs who started rope companies in Maine.

His grandfather started Crowe Rope which…

BELFAST—Think you’re being a good consumer by dropping your plastic recycling off at a Transfer Station each week? Well, don’t wipe your hands and be on your merry way, yet.

Winona Elmore just opened her dream shop in Rockport, a farmhouse decor boutique called Gathering Thyme, opposite of Midcoast Recreation Center on Route 90. Her grand opening was Saturday, February 6.

“I had a vision of a place where people could come to find beautiful things for their home,” said Elmore, whose business is a family venture with help renovating the shop from her husband, her daughter, and her son-in-law.

Elmore’s shop is filled with dried flowers, wreaths, and…

ROCKLAND — Affinity Nutrition, a new nutritional business, opened Friday, Jan. 22 in the Rockland Plaza, edged between Hannaford and Planet Fitness in the space formerly occupied by Green with Envy Hair Salon. The owners aim to provide nourishment to Rockland and the greater Midcoast community. 

The business is owned by Jessica Ripley, of Washington, and Lisa Ladd, of…

CAMDEN—Fifteen years ago, Sondra and Jim Hamilton launched a little coffee shop in the heart of downtown Camden on a shoestring budget with fun, eclectic decor.

Today, with more than a decade under their belts and a loyal customer following, Zoot Coffee will continue its artsy vibe in a new, enlarged space, only a few doors down the street.

While the coffee shop is still open in its current location, they’re in the midst of renovating the space at 5 Elm Street, right next to…

NORTHPORT — Jason Thurston is a Northport artist, using his drawing skills to draw Midcoast scenery on shells. 

The idea to create art on shells came a few years ago when Thurston’s wife, Hana, was in the process of making Christmas wreathes to generate some additional holiday income. 

“We had some clam shells sitting around, and she said, ‘Hey, draw something on those shells. They'd make nice ornaments.’ I think I drew a random lighthouse, the Mount Battie…

NORTHPORT—Back in April, The Atlantic magazine wrote a story about how making old-fashioned crafts during the pandemic could ease anxiety. Millions of crafters took that to heart, and with the COVID-19 virus still raging on nine months later, many burgeoning creators have taken to Instagram, YouTube, and other online resources to make…

NORTHPORT — The next time your child or grandchild asks you for sports apparel, it might not be of their favorite sports team. Rather, the apparel might be coming from the online clothing store, TheGolfBoy.com, launched by 11-year-old Jason Thurston, Jr., of Northport. 

Thurston put his newfound entrepreneurial skills to work when browsing options for golf clothing and realized the options…

For the holidays, we’re continuing our series to shine the spotlight on Maine craftspeople. This week, we’re focusing on Maine Made gourmet and specialty foods made from all around the state.

Cup of Sea tea made from seaweed

Portland, Maine

THOMASTON—Like so many enterprising crafter/artists before her, Jo Ann Hoppe, an artist and entrepreneur from South Thomaston, has made a career from her hobbies. Refusing to let a pandemic dictate her direction, she’s lifting up a dozen or so local crafters, who are selling their consigned items in her newly opened shop, Blueberry Moose at 166 Main Street in Thomaston.

 “I’ve always been artistic, but in 2007, an artist told me I should be showing my stuff at craft fairs,” she…

For the holidays, we’re continuing our series to shine the spotlight on Maine craftspeople. It’s important to shop locally and support innovators and entrepreneurs who keep the creative economy alive in this state. So each week, until Dec. 25, we will bring you this series until you can’t take it anymore. Ready. Set. Go.

B&W Clothespin Artwork Display

Cornish, Maine…

SEARSPORT — Louise Seekins possesses enthusiasm for sewing — expected when one has been sewing for more than five decades — and uses her affinity for the craft to spread cheer and love to her customers, and through donations of profits towards organizations supporting those with Alzheimer’s. 

She has sewn an array of items such as quilts and memory T-shirt quilts, items for her children and costumes for the 15 children’s community theater plays she has directed, and has…

SOUTH BRISTOL—Many Maine artists use the concept of lobster in their art, but Tenley Seiders, an artist from South Bristol, actually uses lobster claws, tails, and other parts of the shell in her elegant jewelry and ornaments.

Born in California, she was first inspired to create jewelry from the abalone shells found on Pacific beaches.  From there, she delved into working with pearls and semi-precious gemstones. After spending countless summers in Maine, an “a-ha” moment…

VINALHAVEN — When Vinalhaven’s An Hanna was searching for collars for the sight hounds she raises, she looked for the best, highest quality collar possible that looked good and would keep the dogs safe. Unable to find collars that dazzled her, she opted to create her own collars now sold through her online Etsy store, The Royal Hound, which boasts handmade martingale collars.

“I'…

FRIENDSHIP — Duff Powell, a resident of Friendship, has been an artist and craftsman his entire life, and is sharing his creations made from driftwood found on Maine’s islands and coastlines through an online Etsy store, Driftwood Treasures. 

“Everything that I have done in my life has led me to this passion of making beautiful handcrafted tables and furniture from…

ROCKLAND — During fishing season, Rockland’s John Coppola can be found on waters from Casco Bay to Penobscot Bay chartering fishing trips for striped bass, bluefish and bluefin tunas. 

When he is not at the helm of a boat, wood turner Coppola is in his workshop crafting wooden handmade segmented bowls, bottle stoppers and ice cream scoopers. 

Coppola opted to begin selling his Northeast Woodworks products…

For the holidays, we’re continuing our series to shine the spotlight on Maine craftspeople. It’s important to shop locally and support innovators and entrepreneurs who keep the creative economy alive in this state. So each week, until Dec. 25, we will bring you this series until you can’t take it anymore. Ready. Set. Go.

“Jellyfish’ Airplant Holders Made From Urchin Shells

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Given that so many artists were hard hit economically over the COVID-19 virus, Penobscot Bay Pilot puts a spotlight on the hard-working artists and entrepreneurs in Maine. So each week, until Dec. 25, we will bring you this series until you can’t take it anymore. Ready. Set. Go.

The Original Lobstah Trap Beer Caddy

Cumberland, Maine

The back story: The Lobstah Trap Caddy is…

Giving someone the gift of services or an experience this season is one way to free the world of extra stuff and clutter, but it also supports many of the hard-working businesses in our community at the same time. It’s a win-win! So each week, until Dec. 25, we will bring you this series until you can’t take it anymore. Ready. Set. Go.

Traveling Escape Games

Edgecomb, Maine…

For the month of December, we continue our series to shine the spotlight on local craftspeople who make things by hand. It’s important to shop local and to support the innovators and entrepreneurs who keep the creative economy alive in the Midcoast. So each week, until Dec. 25, we will bring you this series until you can’t take it anymore. Ready. Set. Go.

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Each December, we shine the spotlight on Maine craftspeople who make products by hand. This week, we focus on those who work out of their homes, farms and kitchens to make quality products, using unique Maine flavors and ingredients. Best of all, all of these items can be picked up locally and shipped.

Toddy Pond Farm Fromage Blanc

Monroe, Maine