#Midcoast-Entrepreneurs (10286)

Oysthers Raw Bar & Bubbly opens in Bath
Two sisters honor their dad, fishing industry, by opening raw bar
Thu, 07/20/2023 - 10:00am

BATH—Captain Angus McGregor Crosby was a lobsterman since he was 14 on Georgetown Island before he died unexpectedly in 2021. His daughters, Lauren Crosby, 29, and Sadia Crosby, 28, each had her own vocation at the time: Lauren worked as a traveling musician and teacher, and Sadia owned an oyster farm called OysHERS Sea Farm. After he died, the sisters felt drawn even closer together and wanted to open a business that had been a long-held dream —a raw bar with sparkling wines and beverages to...
Sunflour in Hope and The Place in Camden
Two Midcoast micro-bakeries receive rave reviews, and grow their businesses
Wed, 07/19/2023 - 12:15pm

MIDCOAST—Two micro-bakeries have quietly opened their doors this summer. Take a look at what they’re offering: Sunflour meals and cookies 43 Hatchet Mountain Road, Hope For the last three years without a website or advertising, Hope resident Carrie Laurita has been quietly cooking and baking in a tiny air-conditioned shed behind her house at 43 Hatchet Mountain Road, trying to feel out a direction on where her avocation would go. She is part of a growing...
In business
Dennis’ Jamaican jerk chicken draws loyal customers to Beth’s Farm Market
Thu, 06/29/2023 - 11:45am

WARREN — Anyone craving authentic jerk chicken, tender and juicy, slow-cooked on the grill, along with rice and peas, a classic Jamaican side, need only to go to Beth’s Farm Market every weekend while Dennis McCalla is cooking. For the 23rd season, McCalla, a loyal employee of Beth’s Farm Market, has returned to the farm and has turned a family recipe into a customer favorite. Inside a corrugated metal hut that Beth’s Farm Market had built for him, McCalla can be found tending the grill with...
Supporting lesser known makers, crafters, artists, farmers, and home gardeners
H & H Mercantile in Searsport is an artist-farmer’s market collaborative
Fri, 06/16/2023 - 2:00pm

SEARSPORT—The humble shop that sits at the Hobby Horse Antiques Marketplace in Searsport ( 383 E. Main Street ) is actually a hub of creative collaboration between multiple industries in Maine. Patrick Hutchings and his husband, Jack Hill, both artisans themselves, wanted a small place to sell their own upcycled artwork, as well as give lesser-known makers and crafters in the area more exposure. Having recently moved back to the Midcoast from Florida after being away for nearly 20 years...
Grump & Sunshine, a romance-only indie bookshop opens on Main Street
Romance is in the air...and in Belfast
Tue, 06/06/2023 - 12:45pm

BELFAST—There’s a handwritten sign on the door of Belfast’s newest independent bookshop, Grump & Sunshine at 159 High Street, that reads: “Shame does not exist between these four walls. Please keep judgment to yourself.” The expansive and rose-colored shop owned by 25-year-old Cassidy James Taylor is a haven, she says, for people who love romance novels and aren’t ashamed of it. “When you come in here, whatever you like in romance is acceptable, and that you’re supported,” she said. “I had...
The Spring Hop featuring Bonnie’s and five other shops takes place May 6
Bonnie’s Place, a gift shop for Maine artisans, shines spotlight on unique crafts
Thu, 05/04/2023 - 7:00pm

ROCKPORT—“Living the dream.” That’s what people often say when asked how they are doing. For Bonnie Brooks, owner of Bonnie’s Place, a market for Maine artisans, that sentiment is the truth. Her post-and-beam two-story shop, custom-built on her property, is the home for 112 artists and crafters all over the state from Kennebunk to Fort Kent. Earlier in her career, she was the co-owner of a wharf in Cushing and the Bay View Lobster Restaurant in Camden. “I’ve been a crafter for many years and I...
Wiley’s, a new breakfast/lunch stand, opens in Rockland May 5
Thu, 05/04/2023 - 12:30pm

ROCKLAND—The little food stand on 346 Main Street, in Rockland, formerly The Shack, is reopening under a new owner Friday, May 5. Kyle Apel is set to open Wiley’s, his grandmother’s surname. The venture consisting of breakfast and lunch is Apel’s first foray as the owner of a food stand. Sourcing most of his ingredients daily, as well as locally, the breakfast menu features an egg and bacon sandwich with tomato jam and Cooper cheese, an egg burrito with his own queso Hollandaise sauce...
Midcoast entrepreneurs
New business: Maine Cup puts state coffee industry at the forefront
Thu, 03/02/2023 - 2:00pm

Maine Cup is a new business devoted to exploring the state’s coffee offerings one roaster at a time. The business' signature products is the state's only online coffee subscription solely devoted to Maine roasters. Pre-sale orders are available online now for the subscription, which will officially launch in April. With access to nearly 60 roasters in the state, subscribers are exposed to the great coffee being produced across Maine, according to the Maine Cup owners, Jesse and Amanda Simko,...
River Arts Gallery showcases its Members’ Show until July 23
Three fiber artists, three vivid portraits
Wed, 06/29/2022 - 1:00pm

DAMARISCOTTA—One portrait is the deep, bold blue of twlight whereas the other two are the hot orange fire of Autumn. River Arts Gallery is currently hosting its Members’ Show featuring 160 artists from all over Maine. Three women, Cathie S. Peterson, Laura McNelly, and Anne Holmes all have work in the show. Each fiber artist has her own preference and style. Here is the story behind each portrait. Cathie S. Peterson A Glimmer of Hope Cathie has been a fiber artist for about 10...
The beauty of roadside farm stands
Fri, 06/10/2022 - 12:00pm

LINCOLNVILLE—In the summertime, people drive by rural, roadside farm stands like they’re a dime a dozen. But, there is such art and beauty in a local hutch at the end of a dirt driveway. For many, a farm stand is a way for home gardeners, farmers, and fishermen to supplement their income without having to necessarily be present at the time of purchase. The old piece of Americana that still holds true is that most of these farm stands sell their wares on the honor system. These rural farm stands...
The Scone Goddess: How a kitchen business turned into a Northport brick-and-mortar shop
Fri, 06/10/2022 - 11:30am

NORTHPORT—Down the road on Route 1 from The Only Doughnut sits the newly built brick-and-mortar home of The Scone Goddess. “We call this area of Route 1 ‘The Corridor of Yum,’ ” said founder and CEO Veronica Stubbs, who held the grand opening of The Scone Goddess’ new physical location on May 26. A one-woman business in 2019, Stubbs began baking and perfecting her scone recipes out of her kitchen. “I started baking scones one day a week as a way to get to know my community,” said Stubbs who...
Day Trips: Marsh River Cooperative
Wed, 01/12/2022 - 2:15pm

BROOKS—As Marsh River Cooperative’s manager Matthew McKillop will tell you, “You’d be surprised to know there’s a lot going on in Brooks.” A tiny town in Waldo County with a population of little more than 1,000 has a gem of a store anchoring the center of town. The Marsh River Co-op is a year-round agricultural cooperative and retail market for artisans with nearly 200 producer and consumer members. The building, which used to be Paul and Audrey’s hardware store, became the focal point for...