Business & Development

‘We want to honor the history of this property while making good use of it as an economic engine for the region," says Kathryn Toppan, one half of the husband wife team that is looking to transform a historic landmark in Machias into a successful business.

“When you support a small business you are supporting a dream,” sums up the attitudes of two Downeast sisters and business owners. The Bluebird Ranch Family Restaurant and Berry Vines in Machias are a few hundred steps away from one another...

A high end housing development is being planned for a 1,000-acre peninsula on Howard Lake in Robbinston. Merriwood Sustainable Community is described on its website as "just beyond the edge of the paved world -- a vibrant and comfortable oasis nestled within the splendor of the Maine wilderness."

Sidewalk markets, masks, pickup windows, home delivery, more masks, remote learning, essential workers, social distance, Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and "buy local" becoming a rallying mantra; these are just some of the words the year 2020 will leave behind.

Government assistance and New Brunswickers taking vacations in their own province helped Charlotte County businesses survive 2020 and the COVID 19 pandemic. They are, as the Bee Gees put it, "Stayin' Alive," hoping that vaccines will allow life to return closer to normal.

Because of a downturn in shipping at the Port of Eastport, half of the longshoremen who work at the port are taking an early retirement package as a part of a workforce reduction undertaken by Federal Marine Terminals (FMT), the port's terminal operator.