Midcoast Entrepreneurs: Bright Ideas, Creativity and Enterprise
From restaurateurs to artists, and everything in between, the Midcoast is beaming with creatives and innovators in all mediums.
Since the inception of PenBayPilot.com, a collective goal of our writers has been to spotlight entrepreneurs and their creativity. Now, we have established a hub for our stories about the Midcoast’s entrepreneurs to permanently reside.
We encourage our readers to support as many local business owners as possible across as many industries as you can. Our neighbors need our support, so please browse through this hub for potential purchases or places to eat.
Motifs, once a Rockland store, reemerges on Camden Wharf
CAMDEN—A favorite Rockland store has reemerged in Camden on the Lyman-Morse waterfront boardwalk this summer. Motifs, a boutique specializing in coastal-inspired wares, men’s and women’s fashion, home décor, vintage, and antiques, reopened Memorial Day weekend.
The store is run by Paula Jalbert, who has the same exuberant style as she did when we first covered her Rockland location in a … Read more
Liberty farmer launches statewide network with Maine Produce Alliance
LIBERTY— From 5:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Nicole Moore, a first-generation Liberty farmer, does not stop working. Most farmers understand that lifestyle already, but Moore has more on her plate than just growing produce.
This past January, Moore founded Maine Produce Alliance, an online and offline network of nearly 50 farmers throughout the state of Maine. With 38 restaurant accounts, natural food stores, farmer’s markets, wholesale accounts, and individual customers, Moore and her team… Read more
Dark Harbor Barber Company expands with second location in Waldoboro
WALDOBORO – The faces of Waldoboro are changing and we mean that literally; heads, too, for that matter. Dark Harbor Barber Company has established a shop at 904 Main Street.
Sam Weldon, (owner/barber, opened the original barber shop in Rockland, currently at 436 Main Street. Bringing on D.J. Jones as a partner/barber, the two enjoyed immediate success in the Rockland area.
Something exclusive about the barber shop is that it does not sport the traditional red and white… Read more
The Apron takes off at Knox County Regional Airport
OWLS HEAD—Though the Knox County Regional Airport may be far away from the downtown Rockland dining scene, the fast-casual eatery called The Apron at Terminal A located inside the terminal is hoping to cement itself as a social and cultural hub in the coming months.
Matthew Stilphen, owner of The Apron, is a one-man operation with a simple philosophy: Make good food at prices working people can afford. The space is designed to be a food truck without wheels.
A former reporter… Read more
Anodyne, a new bookshop in Searsport, is another gem to the burgeoning Main Street
SEARSPORT—A new, independent bookshop has opened in Searsport to the delight of Midcoast book lovers. The grand opening of Anodyne at 33 East Main Street, took place April 8.
Owner Elly Burnett, a former attorney, saw the bookstore as a way to shift toward the meaningful and personal, particularly after the COVID-19 pandemic.
She estimated that more than 100 people came through the shop for the opening.
“It was just phenomenal,” she said. “We had people from the… Read more
Whistling Whale cold brew coffee bar opens in Camden
CAMDEN—A cold-brew coffee shop has just opened on the quiet side of the Camden harbor this spring. Tom and Holly Griffin opened their first Camden-based business in the Lyman-Morse Marina April 5 serving cold brewed coffee and home-baked goods.
“We’re not a traditional coffee shop,” he explained. “We’re on the edge of being a brewery. Cold-brewed coffee means no heat is applied to the coffee. We brew in five seven-gallon S.S. Brewtech brewers designed for the coffee industry; it’s… Read more
Wolfpeach 2.0 relaunches with a new dining concept in Camden
CAMDEN—Wolfpeach, a Camden restaurant at 50 Elm Street, has undergone some pivotal changes since it opened in 2021. First, it opened as a pop-up to meet the community’s needs while renovating the restaurant’s interior; then, as a full-scale restaurant, which was named as a semi-finalist for the James Beard awards. And it is now, as what owners Gabriela Acero and Derek Richard call “wolfpeach 2.0,”—a more casual, neighborhood establishment.
“We’re still the same name, same team, same… Read more
Hot Hill Tavern brings lunch, dinner and late-night menu back to Thomaston
THOMASTON—A Thomaston couple has plans to open a community tavern and restaurant in the spring with the aim of serving lunch and dinner as well as give late-night workers—such as restaurant staff and second-shift workers— a place to grab a bite and a sip past 9 p.m.
The old Weymouth Grange Hall, formerly Billy’s Tavern, and most recently, a second location for Thresher’s Brewing Company, is named Hot Hill Tavern, after co-owner Nate Miller’s “Hot Hill” sauces, a recipe he perfected… Read more
New business: Maine Cup puts state coffee industry at the forefront
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… Read more
Metalsmith works out of tiniest little jewelry store in Rockland
ROCKLAND—With fewer than 200 square feet on 497 Main Street, Dana Ruth, a self-taught metalsmith and studio jeweler, has everything she needs to make her art and she couldn’t be any more pleased to be in Rockland, Maine.
At the height of the pandemic, she packed her dog in her car and traveled to Maine from Atlanta, Georgia, where she lived for the last 22 years. She drove with her sights set on Acadia, and along the winding, small-town roads leading up north, she fell in love with… Read more