2021
Tribe launches own blueberry product brand
For the first time, wild blueberries hand-raked on fields owned by the Passamaquoddy Tribe will be marketed under their own brand.
Business & Development
2021
Restaurants and shops coping with ongoing staffing shortages
In Downeast Maine, tourism is in full swing with crowded shops and longer wait times. While businesses are reaping the benefits of more clients fleeing to sparsely populated areas like the Bold Coast in the wake of COVID 19, there is a pervasive need for more employees to meet newly minted demands.
2021
New entrepreneurs helped by program
Starting anything from scratch can be challenging. But starting a business is not only challenging, it is a daunting task. Now add a lost year due to a pandemic, followed by life slowly returning to a new normal, and one can say it's just plain scary.
2021
Machias landmark may be turned into brewery, restaurant
‘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.
2021
Sisters in business support each other
“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...
2021
New high-end housing eyed for Robbinston
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."
2021
Businesses survive pandemic’s challenges: PPP and local support credited
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.