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.
Brother Shucker serves cold fresh oysters from a food truck
ROCKPORT−Brother Shucker is a new fixture in Rockport and beyond the cheeky name, the food truck offers something no other food truck in the Midcoast has ever offered: fresh, raw oysters shucked on site.
Zak Kuras moved to Maine in 2016 and started oyster farming on the Damariscotta River, first with Glidden Point Oyster Farm in Edgecomb. After that, he managed Community Shellfish’s Oyster Farm in Bremen.
“I decided after that, I’d like to run my own business with my brother… Read more
Luce, a nano-distillery, is Rockland’s newest hot spot for botanical spirits
ROCKLAND—Nate Luce and his partner Justine Kablack have a little spot on Main Street that’s probably going to be Rockland’s hippest joint this summer.
They quietly opened Luce Distillery last October and have kept it fairly under the radar while perfecting their nano-distilled spirits, which are brewed in 25-gallon batches in the back.
“We’re both New Englanders,” said Luce. “My Dad lived part of his life in Maine, from Presque Isle to Kittery, and I always loved visiting him… Read more
Sterlingtown Bakehouse adds a new community food hub in Union
UNION—After three years of successfully running the Sterlingtown Public House in Union, owners Jillian Lary and Brian Fickett decided to open a new business this winter under the Sterlingtown name. In early February, the couple opened the Sterlingtown Bakehouse across the street from the restaurant at 30 Burkett Road.
“We decided it was time the town needed some coffee and some baked goods,” said Fickett.
The couple polled the town beforehand to find out what the community… Read more
Young female lobster boat captain shines in the Mountainfilm On Tour Festival
ROCKPORT—Lobsterman Sadie Samuels, whom Penobscot Bay Pilot interviewed multiple times over the years, is the subject of filmmaker Greg Kohs’ seven-minute film The Captain, playing at The Waldo Theatre in Waldoboro April 13.
The documentary is part of more than 20 films that will be screening at the Mountainfilm On Tour festival, which started in Telluride, Colorado, and is on a national tour.… Read more
Laugh Loud Smile Big’s Camden cupcake shop on track for April reopening
CAMDEN — Walk-ins to a storefront in Camden this week are being turned away from ordering gourmet cupcakes, and that’s a promising sign. As bad as Vicki Murray feels about leaving people empty-handed, she is still putting sheetrock into walls and painting. In fact, Laugh Loud Smile Big’s new location does not currently have an oven.
Due to some delays involving updated code enforcement requirements, Laugh Loud is now anticipating an April 6 opening. A full kitchen needs to be… Read more
New Thai restaurant, Fon’s Kitchen, soon to open in downtown Belfast
BELFAST—Belfast will soon have a new Thai restaurant named Fon’s Kitchen at 132 High Street, opening March 31.
Fon, which means falling rain in the Thai language, just so happens to be co-owner, Sarunya Rock’s nickname.
Sarunya, who grew up in Bangkok, felt she needed a change and moved to the U.S.
“I found an opportunity to come to the states, working in hospitality for a year, so I applied without knowing where I end up,” she said. “I didn’t even know Maine when I… Read more
Hey Sailor, Searsport’s new taco cocktail restaurant opens
SEARSPORT—‘Hey Sailor’ is serving a definite vibe, which, simply put, is “TACOS+. ART. BOOZE.”
The newly opened bar and restaurant on 25 East Main Street is the latest venture of the owners of The Hichborn in Stockton Springs.
Kirk Linder and Charlie Zorich opened Hey Sailor in late February after purchasing the building in 2019. However, the pandemic waylaid their plans for quite awhile. Early in 2020, they ripped everything down to the studs and slowly built out a kitchen,… Read more
The ‘PC Guy’ wants your old computers to fix up and give to people who can’t afford them
THOMASTON—One Midcoast man is on a mission to free up landfills from junked computers and to turn those parts into usable devices for people who can’t afford a new computer.
Gordon Knowlton, from Thomaston, has had a life-long interest in taking computers apart and putting them back together.
“I took one course in college for audio engineering, but I really got into repairing PCs after I bought a Gateway computer around 2003,” he said. “It wasn’t cheap, around $1,800, and… Read more
Arctic Tern Books, new boutique bookstore, opens in Rockland
ROCKLAND—It’s never a bad thing to have another independent bookstore open in the Midcoast and Arctic Tern Books is the newest bookstore to cement Rockland’s reputation as a thriving cultural scene.
Owner Allison Worden opened the boutique bookstore in November after planning it for about a year. The space at 432 Main Street, formerly Hall’s Antiques, had been sitting empty for a few years. Once she saw its dark wood floors and soaring ceilings, she knew it was meant to be.
“… Read more
If there’s a mouse in the house, Kathleen Maseychik is behind it
JACKSON—Last week, we did a story on the off-the-beaten-path Marsh River Cooperative in Brooks and its special space for local artisans and crafters. Kathleen Maseychik is one of those crafters whose tiny, handmade felt mice grace a dollhouse in the center of the store. Her creations, which she has been making for 53 years, are under the banner of her nano business, Mouse Hole… Read more