BELFAST—An old 1980s Toyota Huntsman camper van that had been sitting in Larraine Brown’s backyard for about a month has come back to life as a traveling art van. Rechristened “Betty The Brilliant…
#Midcoast-Entrepreneurs
Find out where the women-owned businesses are in The Midcoast
PORTLAND—Sometimes a brilliant idea for a new business is just a phone call away.
For Sarah Guerette, Director of the CEI Women’s Business Center, that idea sprung from multiple phone calls…
Lobster buoys, sailcoth bags, and lobster rope wreaths
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…
Bee Wild Farmacy opens next to Cardinal Cove Mini Golf Center in Rockport
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…
Midcoast Entrepreneurs
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…
Specializes in outdoor apparel and provisions
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…
SEARSPORT—Just five minutes over the Belfast bridge heading north on Route 1 sits the newly opened Rio’s Spiked Café, a European-style tapas bar and eatery. Owners Oana and Russell Manton who also…
THOMASTON—Locally sourced, delicious food—that’s the Maine way—and entrepreneurs Tai Leavitt and Darren Albers are using the state’s area code as their Maine brand in their latest food truck…
‘I am ultimately here to teach you how to become your own life coach’
THOMASTON — After coming to partaking in a personal healing journey and identifying her primary purpose in life, Thomaston resident Dominique K. Woodward has established a life coaching business,…
The Lincolnville restaurant is now open on the weekends as a shop
LINCOLNVILLE—Fans of Chez Michel Restaurant on Route One were pleasantly surprised to see a new post on the restaurant’s Facebook page after more than a year of inactivity.
The restaurant,…
opinion: Dual-use farmland is an important tool for diversifying a farmer's income
ROCKPORT —A new blueberry solar farm is ready to come online in a field near Route 17, close to Maces Pond.
The…
CAMDEN — Have you ever wondered if the charity to which you are donating is actually putting your money to good work? Or, perhaps you…
Painted Monarch is a relaxed salon with a cozy atmosphere and boho vibes. Quinn Bunting, a Mainer with entrepreneurial spirits, crafts experiences that allow you to express yourself as…
Having the ability to take action carries the responsibility to take action
ROCKLAND — This is a feel-good story about a local business owner doing well by doing good.
Alvin Chase is the owner of Eastern Tire and Auto Service in Rockland. He has worked there for 33…
in business
BELFAST — There’s a new rowing business navigating the waters of Belfast Bay, launched by Nicolle Littrell. She is offering rowing lessons and guided rowing tours in the Bay, and efforts are…
STOCKTON SPRINGS—The former private Stockton Harbor Yacht Club has been transformed into a public restaurant called The Club Marina and Bar and its quiet harborside vibe is a hidden gem.
…
Plus other Midcoast farms and businesses participating
HOPE—Maine’s first Wild Blueberry Weekend is rolling out this weekend August 7 and 8 just in time for wild blueberry processing season with more than 15 farms and 40 businesses planning to…
...with a restaurant and distillery planned for Camden in spring, 2022
HOPE—Blue Barren Distillery, formerly based in Camden, has gotten a new lease on life in Hope, and is once again, is open to the public.
Many businesses have suffered during the COVID-19…
Hail to the Rad Kids
HOPE—The Hope General Store serves as a catalyst in 19-year-old Emma Jordan’s short film The Musicbox, which won an Honorary Mention award at the 43rd Maine Student Film an Video Festival…
Good Natured hosted its Grand Opening July 31
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…
Featuring a brew-pub style tasting room with all Maine-sourced food and beverages
WISCASSET—Lobster. Blueberries. Beer. Maine’s most well-known fare is synonymous with the state. But, what about sea salt? Seaweed? Kombucha and Jun? The native products that can be derived from…
ROCKLAND—A wild idea turned out to be the smartest thing that Richard Curtis, a lobsterman out of Friendship, ever had.
He’d never run a food truck before. “One day, I found a truck for…
Wine slushies are the rage on a hot summer day
UNITY—The rolling vineyards and farmhouse that once was the site of Clem and Jeri Blakney’s Younity Winery have gotten new owners and a new business. Now called Stone Tree Farm & Cidery, the…
And two reopen
CAMDEN—Two new businesses have filled the vacant storefronts left from the pandemic in Camden and two stores have re-opened. All of these businesses opened after we published our annual Midcoast…
Oh no they didn’t. Oh yes they did
BELFAST—Restaurants and businesses in Belfast are going toe to toe and pun to pun with an emerging sign war.
As we reported…
Vegan and gluten-free all-natural flavors
BELFAST—Shaved ice, a treat once popular with surfers in California in the 1960s, has made a comeback in 2021 in the form of Belfast Shaved Ice & Provisions, a family-owned concession stand in…
...which is actually in Wiscasset, not Bath
WISCASSET—Ironically, Wiscasset’s first brewery is named after the nearby town 10 minutes away, but there’s a story for that. On Route 1, opposite from the Shaw’s Supermarket, Bath Ale Works, co-…
How Julz Larrabee, a sewist makes a creative living in Belfast
BELFAST—The retro hobbies of knitting and sewing came …
Toad Hall Editions sets up in Northport
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.
…
ROCKLAND—Trees talk; scientists have been telling us that for years. But what you didn’t know is that they are particularly good at speaking to artists.
Roger Barry, a woodworker and artist…
CAMDEN—Health seems to be on the minds of many businesses moving into downtown Camden this spring. The Mill Nutrition, at 25 Mechanic Street, is an herbal tea /shake shop that offers sugar-free…
Elizabeth Stanley is the last person who wants to be in front of the camera, which has noticeably given her insight when it comes to being a portrait photographer.
“I’m kind of an introvert…
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…
Rope Co. produces minimalist designs
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…
Artist Kim Bernard used daily art exercise to connect Mainers and beyond virtually
ROCKLAND—As mud season is full underway, little pops of color in nature are turning up on roadsides and gardens. As part of Artists & Makers Week hosted by the Island Institute’s retail store…
The big lie is that 100% of recycled plastic is being re-used
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.
…
Hail To The Rad Kids
ROCKLAND—Take a walk through the cavernous welding/fabrication shop at the newly built Midcoast School of Technology and you’ll be surrounded by industrial machines, tools, workbenches, and vices…
To open for take-out this spring
CAMDEN—Restaurants operating in a pandemic have had to make enormous changes in order to stay afloat. Gabriela Acero and Derek Richard, a couple featured in our recent story “…
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,…
Elev8 Energy & Nutrition opens next to Hybrid Fitness in Warren
WARREN—With the deepest part of winter upon us and a heightened societal need to stay healthy during a pandemic, a new energy drink bar is set to open in Warren.
Elev8 Energy and Nutrition…
Ryan Jackson leads a series of virtual adult improv classes through the Farnsworth Art Museum
ROCKLAND—When creative improvisational master Ryan Jackson gets down to serious business, there are going to be a lot of laughs.
The Rockland native is hosting a series of virtual improv…
In Your Own Words LLC sells vintage photograph stationery to empower HIV+ Mainers
The typical mainstream Valentine’s Day cards you find in supermarkets and stores and on TV commercials generally present a heterosexual angle to the holiday, which doesn’t represent other…
Owners Gabriela Acero and Derek Richard turn the Drouthy Bear into new restaurant
CAMDEN—Many wondered what would become of the classic Scottish pub Drouthy Bear after owners Andrew and Shannon Stewart announced last May that the COVID-19 virus restrictions on their beloved pub…
‘Sport is a place that demands a person be absolutely physically, mentally and emotionally involved’
MONTVILLE — Leslie Woods, a Montville artist, has a unique approach to why she paints sport figures that encourages viewers of her work to place themselves within the portrait.
“Sport is…
in business
ROCKLAND — Affinity Nutrition, a new nutritional business, opened Friday, Jan. 22 in the…
Corinna Whitehill started the service while working for Mid-Coast Connector
WARREN—It’s been just over a year that Corinna Whitehill started her personal cab company called Corie’s Rides. It’s a service that has been fundamental to the Midcoast community in the midst of…
Projected opening date: Jan. 16
DAMARISCOTTA—Faced with the food limitations necessary for their own family, a baker and her husband have decided to open a completely gluten-free bakery and cafe at 77 Main Street in downtown in…
‘I have always been a creative person, and I always feel the need to create’
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,…
