For three years, owner Simone Laboa and his crew at Solo Pane e Pasticceria in downtown Bath have been making a delicious mess. With this summer’s expansion of Solo Pane’s dining space and menu, that mess will get even bigger — and better. Laboa, a 27-year-old native of Genova, Italy, explains that the root of […]
business
Portland City Council approves levying fines on owners of vacant commercial properties
The ordinance was proposed after months of complaints from business owners and residents regarding the state of the Congress Street corridor. But property owners can avoid fines if they agree to let the city install art in their vacant storefronts.
Autumn is engagement season: Part II of the Midcoast chamber’s fall preview
Last week, I began a preview of fall projects and programs that local business members’ employees — or any aspiring business networker — can be a part of this year. Volunteering and attending local events is an excellent way to grow your network, meet new people and to hone those communications skills that will help […]
Rest now to engage in Midcoast events this fall
If you haven’t given yourself any down time this summer, you really need to. I’ve been living the wonderful dad life each weekend, but I’m forcing myself, as busy as the chamber is right now, to shut down the chamber office for the last week of August so the staff and I can have a […]
Amazon could buy land in Gorham for $4M. Is that a good deal for the town?
A proposal to sell 94 acres to Amazon could net the town a slight profit on its land, but the project’s full economic impact on the town — and on residential property taxes — is not yet clear.
New Halloween event will be filled with things that go ‘boo!’
I’ve been sitting on this information for a long time, and I am so excited to share it with you now: This fall, in partnership with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Bath/Brunswick, our Bath-Brunswick-Topsham Regional Chamber of Commerce is proud to present the 1st Annual Haunted Hayrides! The event will be this fall, Oct. 24-25 […]
Bath-Brunswick-Topsham Regional Chamber of Commerce celebrates partnerships
Our region is unbelievably blessed to have a collection of nonprofit leaders that I truly believe is unparalleled in the state. Of course, I may be biased in that respect, but that’s how great I truly feel they are. The quantity of our quality is astounding. For a while now I’ve wanted to do an […]
Downtown Freeport storefronts filling out
In 2021, Freeport’s business vacancy rate was at its highest since the 2008 financial crisis, but today the rate has fallen to around 5%.
Christmas in July and other Midcoast happenings
One of the great successes in our region, and honestly one of the best programs of my career, has been the continued evolution of the Midcoast Tree Festival. Now heading into its seventh edition this November, the planning for the event begins earlier each year and thus, Christmas in July! What I mean by that […]
Hammond Lumber Company to buy Waterville-based Ware-Butler, expanding its footprint
Hammond Lumber, based in Belgrade, will add 12 locations in Maine and New Hampshire and consolidate three other stores.