LINCOLNVILLE CENTER—Open since August, The Red Cottage, a crimson farmhouse store on 258 Main Street, is the latest business to add to the vitality of tiny Lincolnville Center. Co-owned by Janis Kay and her husband, Tom Sadowski, the home style store is marked by pops of red color everywhere—from the siding of the 1800s farmhouse to the red scooter under a red umbrella out front, to the red swing under the tree and a red watering can next to bountiful fall flowers.

Kay has been in the retail business for more than 50 years and it shows with her aesthetic inside the small two-story shop. Three rooms are appointed with a variety of items for the home and the garden.

“I had my first shop when I was 20,” she said. The one-bedroom house was renovated by her husband Tom, before they opened.

“We’re still renovating the back of the house, which will give us more room to expand to another room when done,” she said. “And next year, we’ll have an outdoor section.”

Kay offers linens, candles, clothing, bedding, ceramics, plants, botanical flowers, some kitchenware and gardening accessories, among other carefully selected items she has chosen from her travels.

“I specialize in textiles and items that enhance your home,” she said.

Right now, her decor is geared toward autumn harvest, but she said she will change the entire aesthetic, seasonally, once the holiday season begins.

Kay, who said she is retired, has the store open four days a week (Wed-Sat 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.) The local word-of-mouth has already driven many in town to check it out.

Their permanent sign is still in the works.

“I just want people to realize we’re in Lincolnville Center, not Lincolnville Beach,” she said.

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com